The fear of Coronavirus has struck SXSW, forcing them into canceling the 10-day conference in Austin, Texas. The Mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, made the announcement earlier today during a press conference when he declared the coronavirus crisis a local disaster that “issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest this year.”
"I've gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city, and associated with that have issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest this year," Adler said. "It’s a really important event to our city in a lot of ways, tied to who we are in this city, and I really look forward to the next iteration of South By when it comes back again for us."
The festival organizers also issued a statement once Adler made the announcement expressing their disappointment. In the festival's 34-year existence, they've never had to cancel their festival but they did commit to abiding by the mayor's call.
"We are devastated to share this news with you. “The show must go on” is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation," the statement read. "This situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites."