Festival is expected to return in 2022
The Country Music Association’s CMA Music Fest will not take place again in 2021. Organizers share the news via a social media message that too many challenges will prevent the annual event taking place for the second year in a row.
“After thoughtful deliberation, we are saddened to share that CMA Fest will not take place in 2021. We know our fans near and far have hoped that the festival could safely return this summer, and while we are encouraged to see COVID-19 vaccines becoming more widely available, we still face several challenges that prevent us from bringing our fans around the world the CMA Fest experience they have come to expect. But rest assured, we have already started planning what will be the most EPIC celebration of Country Music next summer. Mark your calendars for CMA Fest June 9-12, 2022!” the organization writes publicly.
They expand on the matter in a more formal letter to its members.
“We know that many of our performers and attendees will ask why we cannot reschedule our event to take place later in 2021; however, to produce CMA Fest at the scale we normally do requires a significant amount of advance planning and production,” its note reads. “Given the length of our production window, it was simply impossible to find an available window later this summer or into the fall.”
They conclude publicly, “We appreciate your patience, understanding and ongoing support of CMA Fest and Country Music as we look forward to the days when we can come together again.”
Those who purchased four-day passes for CMA Fest 2020 and chose the rollover option, will be honored for CMA Fest 2022. Those who purchased passes through Ticketmaster or the CMA Fest Box Office will receive an email in the next 24-48 hours with further information about retaining your passes or requesting a full refund.
Last year’s festival was canceled at the end of March as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown. CMA Fest joins the growing list of festivals forced to cancel for the second year. Earlier this year, the Riverside County Health Department refused to grant Goldenvoice permits for Coachella and Stagecoach this spring due to a concern of a fall resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
Europe’s Glastonbury and 2021 C2C: Country to Country Festival in London, Dublin and Glasgow have also been canceled or postponed to 2022 due to travel and mass gathering restrictions throughout the world.
