Yesterday came word that the release of the 25th Bond movie No Time To Die has been pushed back amid growing concerns of the coronavirus outbreak, and now it has been announced that the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas has been cancelled. It was due to run between March 13th and March 22nd.
“The City of Austin has cancelled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU,” reads the official statement on the SXSW website. “SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions. We are devastated to share this news with you. ‘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. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.”
The statement goes on to reveal that the organisers are currently exploring options to reschedule this year’s event, and “are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants, starting with SXSW EDU.”
South By Southwest is an annual celebration of music, film, arts and comedy, and last year it brought a record $356 million into the local Austin economy.
