Rumors had been circulating that the festival would be canceled or postponed since March 8, when France brought in restrictions on mass gatherings, limiting them to 1,000 people, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That is a lower capacity than the festival’s largest venue. On Saturday, Le Point, a French newsmagazine, published an article in which an anonymous member of the festival’s board was quoted saying that this year’s film festival would not take place. Cannes’ statement came after several other major cultural events in Europe made similar reckonings with the pandemic in recent days. On Wednesday, the Eurovision Song Contest was canceled, as was Glastonbury, the British music festival, which was meant to celebrate its 50th year.

Source: International New York Times March 19, 2020 19:40 UTC