SXSW 2020 canceled after Austin declares native emergency

By Mike Peterson
Friday, March 06, 2020, 02:59 pm PT (05:59 pm ET)

Metropolis officers in Austin, Texas, on Friday issued an order that successfully cancels the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) pageant over issues that the mass gathering may assist unfold the novel coronavirus.

SXSW, which pulls greater than 70,000 per yr, has been canceled resulting from COVID-19 issues.

The occasion, which options movie and music festivals, conferences and interactive media, was scheduled to kick off on March 13 and run by way of March 22.

“We’re devastated to share this information with you,” SXSW organizers stated. “‘The present should go on’ is in our DNA, and that is the primary time in 34 years that the March occasion won’t happen.”

SXSW’s cancellation comes after the Metropolis of Austin declared an area public emergency, forcing occasion planners to desert this yr’s pageant. The occasion itself attracts greater than 70,000 folks from all over the world and final yr generated $355.9 million for town.

The occasion’s organizers say that they’re exploring choices to reschedule and are working to “present a digital SXSW on-line expertise as quickly as potential.”

Apple pulled out of the occasion this week alongside firms like Twitter, Fb and Amazon. The Cupertino tech titan was slated to debut a number of Apple TV+ originals there, in addition to a dialogue with “Little America” creators Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon.