By Yuriy Andriyashchuk
Hip-HopVibe.com Staff Writer
SXSW is one of the most popular music & tech conference and festivals in hip-hop in the country and it’s been going on annually for 34 years in Austin, TX. Sadly, it won’t take place place this year on its scheduled March 13-22 dates.
According to SXSW, the City of Austin announced the cancelation of the festival today due to fear of the coronavirus epidemic in the world. SXSW said they’re devastated to share this news with fans and that they’re “working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.“ Austin Public Health has since released a statement regarding the cancellation as well.
“There’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites.
SXSW will be working to reschedule the festival though and plan to provide a virtual experience for its 2020 participants.
“We understand the gravity of the situation for all the creatives who utilize SXSW to accelerate their careers; for the global businesses; and for Austin and the hundreds of small businesses – venues, theatres, vendors, production companies, service industry staff, and other partners that rely so heavily on the increased business that SXSW attracts,” said SXSW on their website.
We will continue to work hard to bring you the unique events you love. Though it’s true that our March 2020 event will no longer take place in the way that we intended, we continue to strive toward our purpose – helping creative people achieve their goals.”
Stars such as Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, Big Boi, Dreezy, and more were set to perform as well. Hopefully, SXSW will be rescheduled ASAP. It’s crazy that it’s come to this point but safety is always coming first.
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