empty stages at empty festivals

Pour One Out: Gov Ball 2020 Is Canceled

Tyler, the Creator tearing up Gov Ball 2019. Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Governors Ball

We gather here on the music-festival-obituary website formerly known as Vulture to mourn the death of another fallen friend: Governors Ball 2020. The New York City music festival has been canceled in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. “It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation of Governors Ball 2020 due to COVID-19,” a statement on the Gov Ball website reads. “Simply put — due to current government mandates and the evolving situation in NYC, it is neither safe nor prudent to move forward with our June dates. The well-being of our fans, artists, staff, vendors, partners, and the surrounding NYC community is always our #1 priority.” Originally scheduled to take place June 5–7, the festival will now skip 2020 entirely and try again in 2021, something we’re all wishing we could do right now. Vampire Weekend, Stevie Nicks, Missy Elliott, Solange, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more were slated to perform over the weekend. Ticket holders can either request a refund or transfer their tickets over to next year’s event. So many 2020 fests, including Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Stagecoach have either been canceled or pushed to the fall due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. At this point, we’re considering learning the words to “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Misérables just to properly mourn them in song. Just kidding, we obviously already know them. Oh, my friends, my friends, don’t ask me what your sacrifice was for!

Pour One Out: Governors Ball 2020 Is Canceled