Amid coronavirus-scare travel restrictions, the annual Korea Times Music Festival has been postponed, festival organizers announced Tuesday.
“It is with deepest regret that we announce the postponement of the 18th KTMF scheduled on April 25th, 2020, due to current travel restrictions in Asia,” organizers said in a statement. “We truly apologize for the inconvenience to those who have been looking forward to this event and ask for your kind understanding.”
The festival, one of the more notable annual Korean music events in the U.S., has previously showcased the likes of K-Pop stars Rain, Super Junior, Red Velvet, and NCT 127. The annual event started in Southern California in 2003 and was set to take place at the Hollywood Bowl. Organizers did not specify when the concert would be rescheduled, but said fans can return their tickets for a refund or save them for the later date.
The spread of coronavirus has led to multiple travel restrictions, and concerts across Asia had been postponed over health concerns. British rapper Stormzy announced earlier this month that he would postpone shows in Asia from his world tour. There have now been nearly 81,000 coronavirus cases globally, and 3,000 people have died, according to The New York Times.
This isn’t the first time the coronavirus has delayed Asian music events in Southern California. Earlier in February, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra’s concert in Orange County was canceled, according to the Los Angeles Times. Last week, the Overpass Music Festival, another Orange County event, featuring multiple asian performers, announced it would be postponing the concert until September 26th.
“With guests coming from different parts of the globe, specifically from Asia, rescheduling the festival to protect people’s health and safety is an important and necessary decision to make,” Overpass organizers said. “We are hoping that that COVID-19 threat can be contained and travel bans are lifted so that we may push forward with the festival.”
The coronavirus has most prominently impacted Asia’s live-music scene. “Everyone has to cancel their Asian tours for a while,” Steve Dixon of Music Tour Management said following a question from Rolling Stone at a Pollstar conference in Los Angeles in February. “People are waiting to see what happens. If artists can’t tour Asia while they’re waiting for it to be contained, you might see a lot more people touring other territories. You might see more in America, South America, Europe while they can’t tour Asia.”
