Download Festival has been cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
My Chemical Romance issued a statement of cancellation today which almost immediately triggered the full cancellation announcement from promoters Live Nation.
“To our dearest friends –
“It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our performances in Australia and New Zealand. We felt this was the right decision for our fans, our band, our crew, and our families given the current global situation. We apologise to our fans, but please know that we didn’t come to this decision lightly. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to being with you all again as soon as we can. In the meantime, please be good to each other.” – My Chemical Romance
The event, set for Sydney and Melbourne later this month, was cancelled in its entirety almost immediately with the promoters confirming that the MCR announcement, barely eight days prior to festival, meant the organisers would not be able to secure an alternative headliner without sufficient time to secure visas and arrange the other relevant logistics that are required prior to the festival.
The statement continued: "As we are unable to deliver a complete line-up to meet the standard that Download fans both expect and deserve, we have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel Download Australia 2020.
"The Download team has been working around the clock to create an unforgettable experience for heavy music fans and we are devastated not be able to deliver this show to Australian Downloaders as planned.
"We are currently working with both My Chemical Romance and Deftones to schedule separate headline shows in Australia in 2020 and will update you all as soon as we have these.
"We are also working with a number of artists who have official Download side shows scheduled, to add headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne next week, stay tuned for these dates.
"All ticket purchasers to the Download Melbourne and Sydney 2020 events will receive a full refund including booking and payment processing fees.
"We appreciate that the decision to cancel Download Australia will cause huge disappointment and may create major difficulty for ticket holders, for which we sincerely apologise.
"Moshtix will contact account holders on Monday 16th March via email with information regarding the refund process. We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. For any questions relating to your Download ticket purchase, please contact Moshtix."
