Isle of Wight 2020 has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The festival was due to take place in Newport on 11-14 June with Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers and Duran Duran headlining.
However, organisers have now confirmed it will not be taking place until 2021.
‘This decision hasn’t been taken lightly and we have tried our hardest to make it work, but it was unavoidable given the current status,’ they said in a statement.
‘The whole team was excited to welcome everyone to the island for another fantastic festival and we extend our sincere apologies to everyone who was looking forward to it as much as we were.
‘The safety of our audience, artists, crew and the Isle of Wight community is paramount and we appreciate your patience whilst we’ve been working through this unprecedented situation.
‘We’ll be back stronger than ever in 2021 and we hope to see you all again next year.’
Other artists who were set to play included Pete Tong, Sam Fender, James Arthur, Dido, Example, Happy Mondays, JC Stewart, Kaiser Chiefs, Maisie Peters, Primal Scream, Shed Seven, Sigma (DJ set) and The Manor.
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Sharing his anticipation for his debut performance, Lionel previously said: ‘I’m excited to be playing at The Isle of Wight Festival next summer.
‘It’s the first time I’ve performed at the festival and I can’t think of a better way to start the summer!
‘It’s a festival steeped in music history – Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones have all headlined and I’m honoured to be joining the esteemed list! See you all there.’
Lewis was set to perform for the first time and said: ‘I’m excited to be playing at The Isle of Wight Festival next summer.
‘It’s the first time I’ve performed at the festival and I can’t think of a better way to start the summer! It’s a festival steeped in music history – Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones have all headlined and I’m honoured to be joining the esteemed list! See you all there.’
Isle of Wight is the second major British festival to pull the plug this year, with Glastonbury cancelling their 50th anniversary in June due to the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, the Covid-19 virus has claimed the lives of 465 people in the UK and 20,000 worldwide.
According to Public Health England, the number of cases reported on the Isle of Wight stands at three.
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