Canadian Music Week to "Proceed as Planned" in Wake of Coronavirus Pandemic

Festival organizers "continue to monitor the situation closely"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Mar 11, 2020

Some of North America's prominent music festivals have either postponed or outright cancelled their 2020 editions as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but at present, Canadian Music Week is still set to take place in Toronto this May.

Organizers updated attendees on the event's status in a statement published late last week (March 5), writing that the annual festival hub at Toronto's Sheraton Centre Hotel "is open and upcoming events are taking place as planned." 

"Canadian Music Week Conference & Expo is committed to the health, safety and well-being of our clients, exhibitors and visitors," the statement reads. "We are paying close attention to direction from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Toronto Public Health Department, Region of Peel Public Health and the World Health Organization."

The statement concluded, "Peel Public Health has assessed the public health risk associated with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and has determined the risk is low for the region including Toronto-Pearson International Airport. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will advise you of any updated plans."

The 2020 edition of Canadian Music Week will take place May 19 to 23 at over 30 venues in downtown Toronto. While a complete slate of programming has yet to be revealed, artists set to play this year's edition include Pussy Riot, Corb Lund and Terra Lightfoot.

Coronavirus's ongoing disruption of entertainment industries has also resulted in a lengthy list of artists canceling tours, including Pearl Jam, Mac DeMarco, New Order, Avril Lavigne, the National, Wolf Parade, Green Day and many more.

Today, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Over 118,000 cases have been reported globally in 114 countries.

Latest Coverage