The coronavirus pandemic has claimed another music festival, as New Jersey’s Barefoot Country Music Fest is now officially postponed until next year. The inaugural beachside bash was set to take place June 19-21 in Wildwood, New Jersey with an impressive lineup featuring Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more.

“Based on the outpouring of support from fans and the Wildwood community, we’ve worked tirelessly with artists’ management and the city since mid-March to find an alternate weekend for BCMF this year. During this process, the COVID-19 landscape changed yet again,” organizer Rob Pedlow shared in a statement. “We’re heartbroken over what’s happening throughout the country and disappointed BCMF will not happen in 2020, but felt it was the best decision to protect the health and safety of fans, the Wildwood community, artists and BCMF staff. We’re grateful for Mayor Pete Byron, the incredible City of Wildwood team, and especially the fans that made this inaugural event a near-sellout before the pandemic. We’re getting to work on BCMF 2021 and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone next June.”

Upon the festival’s postponement, organizers are putting a special focus on those working on the front lines of the pandemic. Next year’s bash will begin June 17 with a special concert kick-off party honoring front line employees and healthcare workers. Some 500 tickets to the 2021 festival will also be given to healthcare workers battling COVID-19.

Those who have already purchased tickets for the event should hold on to them until next year, as they will be honored on the new dates. If unable to attend, ticketholders can also request a refund or may donate their ticket to healthcare workers.

Organizers are working with artists to retain as much of the 2020 lineup as possible, and revealed that fans can expect announcements regarding performers in the coming months.

Barefoot Country Music Fest joins several other music festivals to be called off this year due to the coronavirus. Other country bashes like Stagecoach and Country USA have been pushed back to later in the year, while CMA Fest, the genre’s largest festival, was cancelled outright before ever revealing its lineup.

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