As the coronavirus spreads across the UK, Radio 1’s Big Weekend has now been cancelled before tickets even go on sale. This is a disappointment but not a surprise to fans as practically every tour and festival has been called off for the same reason.
On Friday 13th March, the announcement was made with a statement which reads “After careful consideration we have come to the decision that Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2020 in Dundee will not go ahead.” It went on to explain to fans that the decision was made upon advice from the Scottish Government to ensure the health and safety of everyone.
An update on #BigWeekend Dundee 2020 pic.twitter.com/o0FO4YKAfk
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) March 13, 2020
The festival was planned to take place from 22nd to 24th May in Dundee, Scotland and it was expected that more than 70,000 people would attend. The line-up included incredible artists and bands such as Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, and Camila Cabello. Dua Lipa had previously said the she “can’t wait to perform some tracks from the new album for you guys”, and Cabello said she is “beyond excited to be coming back to Big Weekend.” Cabello last performed at a Radio 1 festival in 2018 at the Biggest Weekend.
Sadly, these artists won’t be performing at Big Weekend this year, though organisers are discussing a future event with Dundee council. Hopefully fans can attend their favourite festivals at a later date, even if it’s not exactly what they expected.
The cancellation is just another of many for the UK music industry, and if the organisers hadn’t made the decision to cancel, it is likely that it would have been put off regardless. This would be due to the ban which Nicola Sturgeon hopes to put in place from this week, meaning that all mass gatherings of over 500 people should be banned until Covid-19 can be controlled.
Other gigs which have been cancelled so far include Snowbombing festival, as well as the tours of Stormzy, The Who, Greg Dulli, and Avril Lavigne. Tom Keihl, the acting chief executive of UK Music, asked the Government to take “urgent steps to safeguard a music industry which is the envy of the world“.
