Rescheduled Primavera Sound 2020 cancelled

The 20th anniversary of Primavera Sound will no longer take place this year, despite being rescheduled to the end of August.

Organisers of the festival, which experienced record ticket sales this year following the release of a line-up including the Strokes, Massive Attack, Iggy Pop, Lana Del Rey and Kacey Musgraves, announced today (11 May) that they have been “obliged to postpone the next edition of Primavera Sound Barcelona, for reasons of force majeure, until next year from 2 to 6 June 2021.”

The festival had previously been rescheduled from its usual June dates to 26 to 30 August 2020, in a bid to avoid disruption from the pandemic.

“We are devastated and are terribly sorry for the inconvenience caused, but the health and well-being of our audience and of all the people involved in the festival has always been and still is our absolute priority,” reads a statement from organisers.

“We cannot thank you enough for your patience, love and understanding in this very uncertain scenario”

“We cannot thank you enough for your patience, love and understanding in this very uncertain scenario.”

All tickets for the festival and delegate passes for the Primavera Pro industry conference will be valid for the 2021 events with “special benefits for all those who decide to keep them”.

Those wishing to ask for a refund can do so from 3 June, when this year’s edition was originally meant to kick off. The first wave of artists for Primavera Sound 2021 will be announced on the same day.

A fully virtual edition of Primavera Pro will go ahead from 21 to 24 July, with a focus on analysing the recent challenges facing the sector.

The news of Primavera Sound Barcelona’s cancellation comes as the fate of its Portuguese sister event, NOS Primavera Sound Porto, hangs in the balance as the Portuguese cabinet proposes a ban on festivals until 30 September. Organisers had previously rescheduled the festival for 3 to 5 September.

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