The spate of live event annulments continued on Friday as Merlefest canceled its 2020 event due to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, originally scheduled for April 23rd-26th at Wilkesboro, NC’s Wilkes Community College. The 2021 event is scheduled for April 29th-May 2nd.
The festival, which boasted a lineup that included Greensky Bluegrass, Mavis Staples, and Paul Thorn, cited the directives from North Carolina Governor Ray Cooper as the impetus for canceling the event.
“While this decision is disappointing for all of us, we fully support the directive from our county officials. The health, safety, and well-being of all involved with MerleFest is, and always will be, our primary concern,” said festival director Ted Hagaman.
Additionally, the festival will offer three options for 2020 ticket holders. Firstly, ticket holders will have the option of converting their purchase into a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the Wilkes Community College Foundation to help sustain the mission of MerleFest and its impact on WCC students. Secondly, fans can roll their tickets forward to MerleFest 2021, which allows them to retail the same seat, package, parking, and ticket at 2020 prices. Thirdly, MerleFest is offering refunds to those who do not choose one of the first two options. Ticket holders must request a refund by April 15th. If one does not contact the MerleFest box office by April 15th, the festival will automatically rollover tickets to 2021.
Watch the announcement video the festival posted to its Facebook page on Friday below, and visit the MerleFest website for more information regarding the canceled event.
MerleFest Cancellation Announcement
The festival’s recent cancellation comes amid a flurry of live event cancellations and postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic. What started with big events, like SXSW, Ultra Music Festival, and Coachella, has now evolved into a postponement of all Live Nation and AEG events.