SXSW 2020, an Austin, Texas-based technology, music, and film convention, has been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. South By Southwest, or SXSW for short, has been an annual event for the last 34 years. The conference attracts companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare, alongside Hollywood studios, guest speakers ranging from politicians to filmmakers, and colossal music acts like Garth Brooks, The Roots, and Salt-N-Pepa. SXSW 2020 guests included Chris Evans, Kumail Nanjiani, and many more from across the music, film, and tech fields.
Worries over the spread of the deadly coronavirus have grown over the weeks leading up to the event, with several guests and companies already dropping out. Originating in Wuhan City, China, the virus has now spread to the US, hitting major cities like California and New York. Movie studios have already postponed planned releases, like the upcoming Bond movie, No Time To Die, and other events have been canceled, such as the Emerald City Comic Con and GDC 2020, the game developers conference.
With the number of people pulling out of the event, it was only a matter of time before SXSW called it off. That time finally arrived as the official SXSW website posted a full statement about the cancellation. The statement explains that the City of Austin canceled the March dates for the event, and SXSW plans to "faithfully follow the city's directions." The website called the news devastating, and says they're still "working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation." The company states they're "exploring options to reschedule" and understand the "gravity of the situation" to all involved.
The cancelation certainly didn't come easy for Austin, which made $355.9 million off the 2019 SXSW conference. However, a few days prior, Netflix pulled out of the event, as did CNN, Mashable, Facebook, Tiktok, Amazon, Apple, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. On top of that, SXSW also lost musical guests Ozzy Osbourne and the remaining Beastie Boys. The widespread coronavirus hasn't just effected SXSW and Hollywood either. Disney World is reportedly adding more hand sanitizers after the company already closed all its Asia-based theme parks. Meanwhile, comic book companies are pulling out of convention appearances, and the toy industry might also take a massive blow thanks to factory closures.
With the exact number of infected people still unknown, Austin and SXSW are making the right call canceling the event, which was expected to draw nearly 300,000 people. The CDC cautions that the virus spreads from person-to-person contact easily, and with 19 states reporting a total of 164 cases, Austin is wise to avoid unnecessary risk. There's no telling when or if the conference will be rescheduled, but with so much still unknown about the future of the coronavirus' impact on the US, everyone's top priority should be staying safe and minimizing their risk of exposure.