As was widely expected given, well, everything, Outside Lands has officially canceled this year's festival in Golden Gate Park. Organizers say it will return next August with the same lineup that had been leaked back in April, including Lizzo, Tame Impala, and The Strokes — and tickets for 2021 go on sale tomorrow.
Less than six weeks out from the festival's still-scheduled dates in early August, promoters at Another Planet Entertainment have finally made the cancellation official — despite those August dates being impossible under local and state pandemic reopening guidelines.
"We are thrilled for the festival to be coming back in 2021," says festival co-producer Allen Scott in a statement. "There’s been a lot of bad news out there with regard to COVID-19 and we want to give people something to look forward to."
Sure, that's one way to sugar-coat it. But the same situation has already befallen Coachella — though in that case, organizers optimistically rescheduled for October before canceling altogether earlier this month and saying they'd be back again next spring.
"We would love nothing more than to be with you this August, listening to our favorite artists in Golden Gate Park and celebrating the best of the Bay Area for our 13th consecutive Outside Lands," organizers say in an Instagram post announcing the lineup for what will now be the non-consecutive 2021 edition of the fest. "After lengthy discussions with local and state health authorities about the impact of COVID-19 both in our community and throughout the world, we believe it is in the best interest of everyone’s health and safety that Outside Lands not be held in 2020."
Organizers are of course still trying not to lose their shirts on whatever expenses they've already incurred for the festival — and only the early-bird passes had gone on sale in March before the pandemic threw everything into flux. Therefore, tickets for the 2021 edition are going on sale WAY early. Actually, tomorrow morning.
Current ticket-holders who haven't sought refunds already can still do so until July 24, otherwise, all those "Eager Beaver" passes will be honored next year, and the organizers say that those dedicated fans will be treated to exclusive "contesting for upgrades."
The lineup, which was already widely known via an April leak, will still include Lizzo, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Tyler the Creator, Beach House, and Vampire Weekend. And it also includes ZHU, Young Thug, Khruangbin, Bonobo, Nelly, Brittany Howard, Burna Boy, Melanie Martinez, and lots of other acts you likely haven't heard of if you are over the age of 30.
Ah well! It's one more thing to officially cross off the calendar for this summer.
Next up, we are expecting a similar announcement from Napa's sold-out BottleRock festival — currently postponed until October — any day now.
Previously: Coachella 2020 Officially Canceled; BottleRock and Outside Lands Still Technically on the Books