Canadian Music Week has abandoned plans for a 2020 festival after initially postponing the spring event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers said Tuesday many artists and delegates would not be able to attend the make-up date, which was moved from May to Sept. 9-11 in Toronto.
CMW President Neill Dixon said in a statement that the September date presented "too many unavoidable obstacles," including international travel.
Public gatherings are also still likely to be limited in September, Dixon said, even if the pandemic seems to be under control by then.
He expects "high-attendance events" like concerts and sports to be the last public activities allowed to resume.
The release said all ticketed concerts have been refunded or are in the process of being refunded, and all CMW 2020 badges and wristbands will be honoured next year, when they hope the event will be rescheduled.
"We are hopeful of finding a date in 2021 to continue our nearly four-decade tradition of bringing the world's music to Toronto and Canadian music to the world," Dixon said. "However, we will not make any final decisions until such time that events surrounding COVID-19 and the subsequent government directives are known. We will continue (to) follow protocols and assess our best options going forward."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2020.
The Canadian Press
