The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Firefly Music Festival becomes latest victim to coronavirus
The 2020 spring destination music festival season has all but ended due to the coronavirus pandemic, hitting closest to home as the Delaware-based Firefly Music Festival announced the cancellation of this year’s four-day event.
“At the direction of state and local authorities and federal guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are saddened to confirm the cancellation of Firefly Music Festival 2020,” organizers said in a statement this week. “We take the safety and health of our fans, staff and community seriously and we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Originally scheduled to run June 18–21 at The Woodlands in Dover, the ninth edition of the East Coast’s largest camping and music fest had in place one of the most exciting lineups of the season with Rage Against the Machine, Billie Eilish and Halsey set to headline. The bill also included Blink-182, Maggie Rogers, Khalid, Run the Jewels, Cage the Elephant, Diplo, The Struts, David Lee Roth and dozens more from all genres of music.
“We are deeply disappointed by this difficult decision, one that impacts our fans and our incredible team of performers, crew, vendors & our community in Dover, Delaware,” the statement continued. “In these unprecedented times, we send you our love. Thank you for your support and we look forward to welcoming you in the Woodlands in June 2021 where we will dance, sing and celebrate live music together.”
Firefly joins Coachella, Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Ultra Music Festival and Sonic Temple as multiday events that have cancelled or rescheduled. Overseas, the 50th anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival has been shut down. Major acts like Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones and Billie Eilish have also postponed their upcoming dates. The May 2 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Doobie Brothers and T-Rex among the Class of 2020, has been moved to November.
The spotlight now falls on Boston Calling (May 22–24) and Governors Ball (June 5–7) which at press time are still listed as going ahead, the latter especially mind-boggling given how dire the situation in New York City has become in recent weeks. Chicagobased Lollapalooza, which isn’t scheduled to take place until the weekend of July 30–Aug. 2, announced this week they wouldn’t even be making a lineup announcement until things settle down.
All Firefly 2020 ticket holders who purchased tickets through the official ticket provider, Elevate, will receive a full refund or have the option to transfer tickets and/or passes to next year’s event. An e-mail outlining the refund and transfer process will be sent by March 27. For those who don’t receive e-mail or have any additional questions, they are asked to contact ticketing support by e-mailing support@festivalticketing.com.
“And you need to acknowledge that every one of you who is breaking these rules for social distancing is increasing the chances that this pandemic lasts longer.”
- Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Valerie Arkoosh