COVID-19: Pitchfork Music Festival 2020 cancelled

This year’s Pitchfork Music Festival has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was slated to happen on 17-19 July at the Union Park in Chicago, Illinois and would have been the event’s 15th anniversary.

On their website, Pitchfork expressed its disappointment at having to cancel the event, writing: “We’re heartbroken to announce the cancellation of Pitchfork Music Festival 2020, due to COVID-19.” The company has stated that ticket purchasers would be contacted via email regarding refund options for the now-cancelled event.

This year’s Pitchfork Music Festival was to be headlined by The National, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Run The Jewels. Other artists that were to give performances included Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, Thundercat, Waxahatchee and Angel Olsen.

Further along in their statement, Pitchfork revealed its resolve towards bringing the festival back for 2021, while commenting on the potential challenges that the live music industry could face in the near future. “It can be pretty daunting to think about the future of live music right now, but know that we are fully committed to bringing Pitchfork Music Festival back in 2021, if the public health situation allows for it,” they wrote.

“In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow local health department guidelines. We are in this together, and, if we all do our part, we’ll celebrate next year in person.”

Pitchfork Music Festival 2020 now joins the Newport Jazz and Folk Festival, Glastonbury, and numerous others in a growing list of festivals, tours and events cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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