AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, Austin Mayor Steve Adler, along with other city and county leaders announced that the 2020 South by Southwest festival would be canceled amid nationwide and local concerns over COVID-19, the virus caused by the Wuhan coronavirus.
In a press conference at Austin City Hall, announced that the world-famous SXSW, which was set to begin March 13, would be canceled as Adler has declared a local emergency.
In recent weeks, concerns over the festival’s influx of attendees from all over the world have been the focus of much discussion and concern.
Over the past week, several big-name companies have pulled out of the festival, including Apple, WarnerMedia, Twitter, Facebook and Intel.
As of Friday, nearly 56,000 people signed a change.org petition to cancel the festival.
KFOR will update this story as we get more information.
