Kendrick Lamar @ Leeds Festival (Gary Mather / Live4ever)
It was one of the last major UK summer events still standing, but to no great surprise the cancellation of BST at London’s Hyde Park has been confirmed today.
The concert series had been set to host some major artists including Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Pearl Jam during the course of July, but the inevitable ‘difficult decision’ has now been made.
“After closely following government actions and statements during the COVID 19 pandemic, as well as consulting with our partners The Royal Parks and wider agencies, we have concluded that this is the only possible outcome,” a statement reads. “This would have been the 8th year of this event and we were looking forward to putting on amazing, unique shows for hundreds of thousands of fans in the world’s greatest outdoor venue. But safety always comes first.”
“In addition to the government rightly enforcing a prolonged period of social isolation, we would not want to place any extra strain on the emergency services, who we are lucky enough to have working alongside us at our events. We have the utmost respect for them and wish to express our admiration for their dedication and professionalism, which is proving so vital at this time.”
