Broadway, professional sports among events affected by coronavirus

Coronavirus has caused a number of cancellations and postponements.

ByGood Morning America via logo
March 12, 2020, 4:34 PM

The global novel coronavirus pandemic has forced postponements and cancellations of cultural events -- SXSW, Coachella and Stagecoach among them -- as travel concerns grip the world.

Others will proceed, but with changes to protocol. The Broadway League announced that the Great White Way will be going dark as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, with plans to resume shows beginning April 12.

"Once our stages are lit again, we will welcome fans back with open arms so that they can continue to experience the joy, heart, and goodwill that our shows so passionately express every night," the organization's president, Charlotte St. Martin, said in a press release.

More than 120,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed around the world in the past two months, with over 1,000 reported in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins.

"Good Morning America" has compiled some of the biggest events cancelled or postponedue to coronavirus, below:

Music

Avril Lavigne: Avril Lavigne announced in February that her tour of Asia had been canceled. "My band, crew and I have been working so hard to bring this tour worldwide and are completely bummed out," she wrote. "Please everybody take care of yourselves and stay healthy. You're in my thoughts and prayers and we are hoping to announce rescheduled shows soon."

Billie Eilish: Billie Eilish announced Thursday that her "Where Do We Go" North American tour dates have been postponed.

Billy Joel: Billy Joel has rescheduled concerts at Madison Square Garden set for March 19 and April 10 to September 26 and October 11, respectively.

BTS: BTS canceled its concerts in Seoul, which were scheduled for April 11, 12, 18, and 19. "Please understand that this decision was made after extensive and careful consideration in order to cooperate with the government's measures on restricting public events as well as municipal advisories on the use of cultural and sports facilities," the band's label, Big Hit, stated in February.

Cher: Cher canceled a concert in Oklahoma City because, she tweeted, "it wasn't safe."

Ciara: Ciara, who is pregnant with her third child, said that her doctor advised her to "limit travel and large group gatherings." "I am disappointed I won't be able to return this month to the place where I was born, Fort Hood, Texas, and put on the amazing show we had planned," she said.

Coachella and Stagecoach: Goldenvoice, the company behind Stagecoach and Coachella, announced Tuesday that both festivals have been postponed "at the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities." Coachella will take place Oct. 9, 10 and 11 and Oct. 16, 17 and 18, while Stagecoach will be held Oct. 23, 24 and 25. "While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously," a statement from Goldenvoice read. "We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials."

Dan + Shay: "After the mandatory postponement of our Philadelphia show, and several others in the coming weeks, we have made the collective decision (with our team and health officials) to postpone the spring leg of THE (ARENA) TOUR," the musicians announced. "These shows mean the world to us, and it was important that they be postponed and not canceled, but more than the shows, our fans mean the world to us, and protecting their safety is the number one priority. We want the shows to be memorable, and not experienced with fear."

Green Day: Green Day announced Feb. 27 that the band made the "difficult decision" to postpone their upcoming shows in Asia "due to the health + travel concerns with coronavirus."

Jonas Brothers: The Jonas Brothers canceled their April 1-18 residency in Las Vegas.

Kelly Clarkson: Kelly Clarkson postponed the start of her Las Vegas residency.

Kenny Chesney: Kenny Chesney has postponed part of his Chillaxification Tour due to coronavirus concerns. The dates affected are from April 18 until May 28. "In times of uncertainty, I won't take chances with those I love," Chesney said in a press release announcing his decision.

Khalid: Khalid postponed his Asia tour due to "recent advisories and travel restrictions," AEG announced Feb. 13.

Louis Tomlinson: Louis Tomlinson canceled his March show in Milan, but has promised to reschedule it.

Madonna: Madonna was forced to cancel shows in Paris, Live Nation announced.

Maluma: Latin artist Maluma has postponed the rest of his European tour due to the coronavirus. At this point, 10 dates have been performed while 14 will be rescheduled "as soon as possible," according to a press release.

Mariah Carey: Mariah Carey tweeted that she was forced to postpone a Hawaii concert until November because of "evolving international travel restrictions."

Michael Bublé: A total of 15 dates on Michael Bublé's upcoming tour have been postponed. The shows, which fall between March 17 and April 5, will be rescheduled at a later time.

Miley Cyrus:: Miley Cyrus announced March 9 that she had to pull out of a benefit concert for the Australian bush fires set to take place on March 13 to "protect the health and safety" of her band and crew. The "Wrecking Ball" singer did confirm that she would be making a donation to help victims despite her cancellation.

The National: The National announced March 2 that they were canceling their March 17 and 18 concerts in Tokyo.

Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam announced March 9 that it was postponing the first leg of its tour that was scheduled to kick off in Toronto on March 18.

The Pixies: The band announced that they were canceling their remaining Australia dates.

2020 Ultra Music Festival: The 2020 Ultra Music Festival, scheduled to begin March 20, was officially postponed -- and effectively canceled -- on March 6, Rolling Stone reported. Associated acts included Afrojack, Major Lazer, Zedd and David Guetta. "We are emphasizing to the public that this decision is not a cause for alarm, but rather that we are doing it in an abundance of caution,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said. Suarez also announced that Calle Ocho, the city's Carnival celebration, would also be canceled.

TV

Debates: There will be no live audience for the next Democratic National Committee debate set to occur on March 15. CNN, the network airing the event, has also moved it from Phoenix, Arizona, to Washington, DC.

Riverdale production suspended: Production on "Riverdale," which takes place in Vancouver, has been suspended because a member of the production team came into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, according to a Warner Bros. spokesperson.

Various Shows: Numerous TV programs have announced that they will continue filming without a live studio audience, including, but not limited to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "Good Morning America," "Jeopardy!," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Live with Kelly and Ryan," "The Tamron Hall Show," "The View," "Rachael Ray," "The Wendy Williams Show," "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune."

Theater

Broadway: Broadway shows in New York City have been suspended through April 12, beginning at 5 p.m. on March 12.

Metropolitan Opera: All performances at the Metropolitan Opera have been canceled through March 31.

Conferences and Events

2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: The yearly event has been postponed "until later this year," according to a press release.

Boston Marathon: The 2020 Boston Marathon has been postponed until Monday Sept. 14, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has announced.

CinemaCon 2020: The National Association of Theatre Owners conference, originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from March 20 to April 2, has been canceled.

E3 2020: E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, announced it won't be holding its yearly video game industry conference. Originally set to run from June 9-11 in Los Angeles, it's officially been canceled but organizers said they'll be looking into providing an online showcase.

GLAAD Awards: The annual celebration was canceled due to the organization's "long-standing commitment to the safety of our members, sponsors, and guests," it tweeted.

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards: "The Kids’ Choice Awards scheduled for March 22, 2020, in Los Angeles is being postponed in consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority. We will have further information about a new date in the future," a Nickelodeon spokesperson said in a statement.

PaleyFest LA 2020: The event, which was set to take place in Hollywood March 13-22, has been postponed.

RuPaul's DragCon LA 2020: With no way of knowing what the situation will be in May, when RuPaul's DragCon LA was set to occur, organizers announced on March 10 that they had decided to cancel the event "out of an abundance of caution" for the talent, staff and attendees.

St. Patrick's Day Parades: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Monday that the 2020 St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston had been canceled. "This decision is being made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy," he said. "While the risk in Boston remains low, this situation is changing very quickly and we are closely monitoring any local cases." Parades in New York City and Chicago have also been postponed.

SXSW: Days after companies including Facebook, Netflix, and TikTok pulled out of Austin's weeklong culture-meets-tech festival, SXSW, the city pulled the plug on the event altogether. "We are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants," sead a statement from organizers. "We will continue to work hard to bring you the unique events you love. Though it's true that our March 2020 event will no longer take place in the way that we intended, we continue to strive toward our purpose -- helping creative people achieve their goals."

TED 2020: TED 2020 -- a conference focused on technology, entertainment, and design -- was scheduled to begin April 20, but now, will either be pushed to July or held virtually, the BBC reported.

Movies

Disney releases slated for March and April: Release dates for Disney's "Mulan," "The New Mutants," and "Antlers" have all been pushed back, a source told ABC News.

"F9": The ninth "Fast & Furious" movie, set to hit theaters this May, has been pushed until next year -- specifically April 2, 2021.

"The Lovebirds": Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae's comedy, "The Lovebirds," was scheduled to premiere at SXSW, but for now, has no scheduled release date.

"Mission Impossible 7": Paramount Pictures announced that they were delaying plans of a three-week shoot for Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible 7" set to take place in Venice, Italy.

"No Time to Die": The release of the new James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," was pushed from April to November "after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace," MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on March 4.

"Official Competition": "Official Competition," a movie starring Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, has suspended its shoot taking place in Madrid.

"Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway": Sony has delayed the release of "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway," the sequel to the original 2018 hit, has been delayed until Aug. 7. The film was set to debut in the UK and Europe on March 27 and the U.S. on April 3.

"A Quiet Place Part II": John Krasinski announced that the release of "A Quiet Place Part II" had also been pushed back.

Tribeca Film Festival: Cofounder and CEO Jane Rosenthal announced Thursday that the film festival, which had been scheduled for April 15-26, had been postponed.

Sports

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020: The government of Quebec informed Skate Canada and the International Skating Union Wednesday that it was cancelling the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020, which had been scheduled to take place from March 16-22, 2020 in Montreal.

Major League Baseball Opening Day 2020: The MLB announced that they will be delaying Opening Day 2020 "by at least two weeks."

Major League Soccer:: Major League Soccer suspended the season for 30 days.

March Madness: Both men's and women's tournaments have been canceled.

NASCAR: “NASCAR has decided to postpone the race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend," read a statement form the organization March 13. "We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport. We will continue to monitor this dynamic situation as we assess future race events.”

NBA season: After one professional basketball player tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA suspended play "until further notice," according to a statement from the organization. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic," the statement continued. On Thursday, March 12, commissioner Adam Silver stated that the hiatus would last for 30 days, at least.

NHL season: The NHL announced that they will be suspending the current season. "Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup," commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”

PGA Tour: The PGA Tour, including the Masters Tournament, have been postponed and it is unclear when play will resume, commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed. "We need to continue to understand what’s happening on the ground in the markets where we would be returning to play, continue to work with our partners in those markets, continue to understand what’s happening with the CDC and the World Health Organization, and then ultimately that will guide our decision," he said. "We’re going to make sure that we protect the safety and well-being of all of our constituents as we make that decision.”

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