This Year's READING And LEEDS Festivals Have Officially Been Canceled

May 12, 2020

This year's Reading and Leeds festivals have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE was among the artists scheduled to headline the 2020 editions of Reading and Leeds, which take place annually on the August bank holiday weekend and attract around 100,000 music fans each year.

Other festivals in the United Kingdom, such as Glastonbury, Bloodstock Open Air and Download, have also been called off.

Earlier today, the Reading and Leeds organizers issued the following statement: "Reading and Leeds will no longer be taking place this year.

"We've been closely monitoring this unprecedented situation and we were hopeful we could deliver the ultimate festival to you in August, something to look forward to in these strange and confusing times. However, it has become clear that it's just not possible for this year's festival to go ahead.

"We want to extend our gratitude to our teams, artists and partners who work so hard each year. And to our fans, we're nothing without you — we thank you for your continued support and understanding.

"We are working closely with our ticketing partners and they will be in touch very soon to process your refund, or, if you prefer, you can retain your ticket and carry it over to next year. Look out for an e-mail from your ticketing agent and please only contact them if you have not been contacted after 7 days as they are very busy at this time. If you purchased your ticket from a physical outlet, please contact that outlet to obtain your refund.

"We're already counting down the days to when we're back in the fields we call home for the August Bank holiday weekend. We promise you that Reading and Leeds 2021 will be worth the wait.

"Finally, we encourage everyone to continue supporting our emergency services, who provide invaluable support and assistance at all our events and we again express our gratitude, admiration and thanks for their dedication and professionalism which is proving so vital at this time. Keep safe, keep healthy and look after each other."

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