This summer's Fuji Rock Festival, a major annual event in Japan's music calendar, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, its organizer said Friday.
The three-day outdoor festival was set to feature foreign and Japanese acts including Tame Impala, The Strokes and Denki Groove, at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture from Aug. 21.
It is the first time the festival, whose first edition was held in 1997 at the foot of Mt. Fuji for the only time, has been completely canceled. Patrons are entitled to a refund, or can use their ticket to gain admission to next year's event, according to the organizing committee.
"We cannot ignore this crisis which continues to endanger our health and safety," it said in a statement, adding the decision was made due to a tightening of immigration regulations and the worldwide spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Last year's festival attracted about 130,000 people. In 2018, Bob Dylan performed 16 songs without saying a word in between, bowing out with "Blowin' in the Wind."
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