Some of the Amazing Events Ukraine Will Miss in 2020 Due to Coronavirus Epidemic

12 May 2020 18:14

With the onset of the pandemic, the entire world’s event industry has come to a halt. If in March some still had hope for a quick recovery, then now those hopes have been dashed. We shouldn’t expect big summer festivals, concerts and other events. We looked at what’s been canceled and postponed and until when.

Ukrainian music festivals

The UPark Festival was meant to take place in July in Kyiv. For 2021, the organizers promise an even more impressive line-up. Thus far it’s been confirmed that the band My Chemical Romance will still headline next year. Purchased tickets remain valid, but those who wish to return them can do so by filling out a special form.

Atlas Weekend Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Ukraine. It was to take place in July. Organizers say they are trying to keep the line-up for next year (Twenty One Pilots, A$AP Rocky, Placebo, alt-J and others). They also promise to announce new artists.

Purchased tickets remain valid, but may be returned. Detailed instructions should be published soon.

Zaxidfest organizers plan to move it from June to late August or early September. In the absence of air travel, the emphasis will be on Ukrainian artists. So far there has been no information whether the already announced foreign bands (Sepultura, Being As An Ocean) will be canceled.

The Faine Misto Festival has been postponed to 2021. The organizers promise to keep this year's line-up (Fever 333, Alestorm and others). Tickets remain valid until 2021, but can also be returned.

The Leopolis Jazz Fest has been moved to June 24-28, 2021. The organizers are negotiating with the participants of this year's line-up to save it for next year. Purchased tickets remain valid.

Leopolis Jazz Fest. Photo: Leopolis Jazz Fest / Facebook

Strichka Festival, an electronic music festival, was to take place on May 23-24. So far, the organizers have scheduled the event for July 3-5, although they do note that this is not certain, although "hope dies last." The event was to take place at the popular Closer Club. Purchased tickets remain valid.

Other events in Ukraine

The Knyzhkovyi Arsenal(“Book Arsenal”) book fair was to take place in May. Currently, the organizers have plans to hold the event in late August. This fair was founded in 2011 and takes place every spring at the Mystetskyi Arsenal Museum in Kyiv. Every year over 200 Ukrainian publishing houses present their publications at this major book fair event.

Kyiv Molodist Film Festival was to take place from May 30 to June 7. The new dates are August 22-30, 2020, but organizers note these may change.

The notorious American stand-up comedian Louis C.K. was to perform in Kyiv on two consecutive nights. Both events were postponed to 2021 (May 11-12). Purchased tickets will be valid for new show dates. At the same time, the organizers do not state whether tickets are returnable.

What the Rest of The World is Doing

Naturally, Ukraine wasn’t the only place affected by the pandemic. Most major events have been cancelled or postponed throughout the world, including music and beer festivals and sporting events, like the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo which were postponed to 2021.

The hugely popular in Eastern Europe Eurovision Music Contest was called off this year too. Instead, the organizers decided to hold an online show, which will take place on May 16. It will be called "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light". A total of 41 participants were planning to attend the competition this year, including Ukrainian National Contest winner Go_A. They were all invited to take part in the new format.

The quadrennial European Football Championship, Euro 2020, where Ukraine was set to make an appearance only for the third time was also postponed to 2021 (June 11–July 11). Previously, the Championship was to take place from June 12 to July 12, 2020. Tickets for the matches will remain valid next year, but can also be returned.

Interestingly, the main continental club soccer competitions, Champions League and Europa League may resume in the summer of 2020 – when the aforementioned Euro was to take place. Shakhtar Donetsk is the only remaining representative of Ukraine in these prestigious contests. There are also plans to finish national championships of European countries over the summer.

Sziget Festival was postponed to 2021. One of the largest music festivals in Europe was to take place traditionally in August in the Hungarian capital Budapest. The organizers promised to send instructions on tickets by email. The festival featured: The Strokes, King of Leon, Foals, Foster The People, Dua Lipa, A$ap Rocky and others. It is not yet known which line-up will be in 2021.