Austin's annual music, tech and film conference South by Southwest 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus. Austin Mayor Steve Adler announced the cancellation this afternoon.
“I’ve issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest,” Adler said during a press conference, according to CNN. “There was no path forward that would mitigate the risk enough to protect our community.”
SXSW confirmed the cancellation in a statement. “We are devastated to share this news with you,” it says. “‘The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place.”
Read the full statement below.
An Update on SXSW 2020. Please read our full statement here: https://t.co/P56nF8KFmE pic.twitter.com/ouJPKM9GNy
— SXSW (@sxsw) March 6, 2020
Over the last few days multiple companies and artists including Beastie Boys, Ozzy Osbourne and Trent Reznor had pulled out of planned SXSW appearances. The event was set to begin next week.