We really hope you used waterproof eyeliner because this is very, very sad… Download Festival has been cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Organisers today announced the decision on the back of headliners My Chemical Romance pulling out of the shows in Melbourne and Sydney next week with the following announcement:
“To our dearest friends –
It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our performances in Australia and New Zealand. We felt this was the right decision for our fans, our band, our crew, and our families given the current global situation. We apologize to our fans, but please know that we didn’t come to this decision lightly. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to being with you all again as soon as we can. In the meantime, please be good to each other.” My Chemical Romance
Given that this announcement has come barely seven days prior to Download Australia, organisers made the decision to cancel, with the ability to secure an alternative headliner deemed impossible.
“As we are unable to deliver a complete line-up to meet the standard that Download fans both expect and deserve, we have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel Download Australia 2020.
The Download team has been working around the clock to create an unforgettable experience for heavy music fans and we are devastated not to be able to deliver this show to Australian Downloaders as planned.
We are currently working with both My Chemical Romance and Deftones to schedule separate headline shows in Australia in 2020 and will update you all as soon as we have these.
We are also working with a number of artists who have official Download sideshows scheduled, to add headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne next week, stay tuned for these dates.
All ticket purchasers to the Download Melbourne and Sydney 2020 events will receive a full refund including booking and payment processing fees.
We appreciate that the decision to cancel Download Australia will cause huge disappointment and may create major difficulty for ticket holders, for which we sincerely apologise.”
All ticketholders will receive a full refund including booking and payment processing fees. For any questions relating to your Download ticket purchase, please contact Moshtix directly https://tixsupport.moshtix.com.au/
The is the latest in a series of cancellations, with the Grand Prix, Under The Souther Stars and US legends Pixies all making announcements.
Photo of Limp Bizkit 2018 by Anthony Smith