AUSTIN, Texas -- South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, has been canceled due to growing concerns over the new coronavirus.
The festival, which celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries, was set to run from March 13 to March 22.
The festival issued a statement, saying they are devastated to share the news. The group announced they are now working through the ramifications of this "unprecedented situation."
An Update on SXSW 2020. Please read our full statement here: https://t.co/P56nF8KFmE pic.twitter.com/ouJPKM9GNy
— SXSW (@sxsw) March 6, 2020
Several big names had already pulled out of the festival, including Facebook and Amazon.
A petition on Change.org to cancel SXSW garnered almost 2,500 signatures.
Additionally, the City of Austin declared a State of Disaster during a press conference Friday. Watch the briefing below:
This story was originally published by Sydney Isenberg at KXXV.