Taylor Swift’s dedicated fanbase has been training from the 2009 Fearless Tour, her arena debut, for the 15-date multi-continental trek initially scheduled for this summer known as Lover Fest. In October last year, fans waited online for hours to buy tickets for the coveted event. Many had already started coordinating outfits and planning meetings with other Swifties they had met on the Internet or at previous concerts on Twitter. Tori Ronak, a 27-year-old citizen of Calgary, Canada, paid more than “three to four times the price of the original ticket” using Ticketmaster’s fan resale option for Lover Fest West.
But as countries continue to avoid social gatherings to slow the transmission of COVID-19, Swift announced the cancellation of all 2020 tour dates on April 17, including Lover Fest.
It will be a cruel summer: Like so many other concert tours, events, and movie releases, Taylor Swift’s Lover Fest – along with the rest of her 2020 performances, has been canceled due to the coronavirus.
“I’m so sad I won’t be able to see you guys in concert this year, but I know this is the right decision,” the pop star tweeted on Friday. “Please, please stay healthy and safe. I’ll see you on stage as soon as I can but right now, what’s important is committing to this quarantine for the sake of all of us.”
“Fighting COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge for our global community, and the safety and wellbeing of fans should always be our top priority,” said a statement accompanying the tweet. “Health organizations and governments around the world have strongly discouraged large public gatherings for an undetermined period.
With all of the events throughout the world already canceled and upon direction from health officials to keep fans and workers safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19, sadly, the decision has been made to cancel all Taylor Swift appearances and live performances this year. “
The concert tour scheduled for his acclaimed seventh studio album Lover only had two stops, both in NFL stadiums. Entitled Lover Fest East (in Foxborough, Massachusetts) and Lover Fest West (in Los Angeles), events were modeled more on festivals than traditional concerts. With her performances in Los Angeles at the SoFi stadium currently under construction, Swift would be the first in history as the first woman to ever open an NFL arena.
The shows will be postponed for next year; otherwise, ticket holders can request a refund starting May 1.
Swift’s statement mentions how she planned 2020 shows in the US and Brazil will now take place in 2021, and directs fans to upcoming Ticketmaster messages for refund questions: “For those who want refunds purchased for the U.S. Lover Fest shows are available from May 1, subject to Ticketmaster terms. “
The Lover Fest decision felt almost more urgent than some of the other tours, mostly since the festival was only set in two American cities (Inglewood and Foxborough, Massachusetts). This means that those based in different regions have paid high prices for tickets and travel. Lane Castro, 20, spent her savings on floor seats for herself and her sister. “I could use the refund,” she said. “My mom lost her job, and I’m a university student, which has already put us in a tough financial spot.” Thankfully, she hasn’t made any other potentially non-refundable deals that many other Swifties have, including Airbnb flights, hotels, and rentals.
