Pitchfork Music Festival Canceled Due To COVID-19 Pandemic; Gov. JB Pritzker Says Illinois State Fair 'Highly Unlikely'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Pitchfork Music Festival scheduled for July has been canceled, the latest summer festival to fall victim to the COVID-19 outbreak. And Gov. JB Pritzker said it's "highly unlikely" the Illinois State Fair will happen either.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run the Jewels, and The National had been the slated headliners for the annual music festival in Union Park.
"It can be pretty daunting to think about the future of live music right now, but know that we are fully committed to bringing Pitchfork Music Festival back in 2021, if the public health situation allows for it," officials said in an announcement on the festival's website.
Organizers said they will offer full refunds to people who already bought tickets.
"In the meantime, we have plans for more livestreams, and more ways to use the full weight of Pitchfork to support musicians and the community around our festival. We're not going anywhere—stay tuned, stay positive, and see you soon," organizers said.
Meantime, Pritzker said it's "highly unlikely" the Illinois State Fair in Springfield or the DuQuoin State Fair would be able to take place in August and September.
"This will be many people packed together in buildings, or even on pathways. So I do not believe that we'll be able to open the state fair," he said.
However, the governor said he's encouraged that there are a number of possible treatments in the works, including remdesivir, which received emergency approval by the FDA. Pritzker said it's possible, if one or more of those treatments proves sufficiently effective, and is widely available by the time large summer events take place, that some of them could go forward.
City officials already have canceled the annual Chicago House Music Conference & Festival, the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, and the Chicago Blues Festival. Ravinia and the Grant Park Music Festival also have canceled their slated concerts for 2020. The vast majority of conventions and running events since mid-March also have been canceled due to the pandemic.
Pritzker on Tuesday announced a five-phase plan to reopen the state's economy on a regional basis. He said major events like big summer festivals would not be an option until a full reopening, which he cautioned would not be possible until there is a vaccine, a widely available effective medical treatment, or sufficient widespread immunity to bring an end to new cases of the virus.
