Sport, entertainment, arts and food festivals have all been affected by the pandemic. Here's what's cancelled and what's postponed so far. Multiple sporting events, concerts and festivals have been cancelled after the government recommended against any "non-essential" events with more than 500 people, to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Prime minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that the recommendation, which is effective today, would not affect essential gatherings such as schools, universities and public transport.
Below is a running list of events that have so far been cancelled:
- The Formula 1 Melbourne Grand Prix was cancelled on Friday morning.
- The One Day International series between Australia and New Zealand has been cancelled after one match, after New Zealand announced Australia would be included in a list of countries with a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period.
- The entire AFL season, and the AFLW season apart from Friday's first game, will also be played without spectators "for the foreseeable future".
- The NRL season will be played behind closed doors from Monday, which is the second week of the competition. Week one will continue as normal.
- The Super Rugby has done the same.
- The National Basketball League played the second game of the finals series on Friday night without spectators.
- The Vivid Sydney light festival, which had been scheduled to run between 22 May and 13 June, has been cancelled.
- The Melbourne International Comedy Festival's entire three-week program has been cancelled—it was due to start on 25 March.
- The Sydney Writers' Festival suspended ticket sales after the announcement, and said it would provide updates.
- Sydney's Royal Easter Show has been cancelled for the first time since the 1919 Spanish Flu epidemic.
- A Robbie Williams concert scheduled for Saturday in Melbourne to tie with the GP has also been cancelled.
- The Download Festival, including all performances by band My Chemical Romance, has been cancelled.
- Other tours from Jimmy Eat World, Marc Rebillet, Miranda Lambert and more are also cancelled.
- Luna Park Melbourne has announced it will "not open to the public for a temporary period of two weeks".
- Comedian Tim Minchin has cancelled his national tour.
- No Coal Zone featuring Jamie xx, The Avalanches and Midnight Juggernauts has been postponed. Existing tickets will be valid for a yet-to-be announced rescheduled show.
- The Wiggles have postponed the remaining Sydney shows of their Fun and Games tour.
- Performances of Chinese spectacular Shen Yun at Sydney's Capitol Theatre will be going ahead but from Monday audiences will be capped at 500.
- The three-day multi-cultural event held in Sydney's West, Parramasala, has been postponed.
- Comedy Steps Up for Bushfire Relief at the Sydney Opera House is cancelled.
- The Other Art Fair at the Cutaway, Barangaroo has been cancelled.
- Festival of Dangerous Ideas, scheduled for early April in Sydney, has suspended ticket sales.
- Brisbane Comedy Festival events will go ahead this weekend but from Monday may be cancelled.
- Adelaide's Tasting Australia has been postponed until October or November.
- Melbourne's Food and Wine Festival has been postponed until later this year.
- All remaining events at Virgin Australia Fashion Festival in Melbourne are cancelled.
- Wine Machine, in the Yarra Valley, is postponed until October 31. Existing tickets will be honoured for the new date.
- Many more arts events and festivals have been cancelled or postponed across the country, causing those in Australia's already beleaguered arts industry to fear for its future.
Source: The Guardian
Post a comment