Glastonbury festival organisers have bowed to the inevitable and cancelled this year’s event due to the increasing spread of coronavirus.

“We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the festival,” wrote Michael and Emily Eavis. “Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option.”

135,000 people had already paid a £50 deposit for a Glastonbury 2020 ticket, but all of those people will have the chance to roll over that deposit to next year’s festival, guaranteeing them a ticket. “Those who would prefer a refund of that £50 will be able to contact See Tickets in the coming days in order to secure that. This option will remain available until September this year.”

The Eavises went on to apologise to their “incredible crew and volunteers” and admitted that the cancellation would have “severe financial implcations… not just for us, but also the Festival’s charity partners, suppliers, traders, local landowners and our community.”

We are so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily pic.twitter.com/ox8kcQ0HoB

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 18, 2020

In other festival news, Red Rooster – which was due to take place at Euston Hall, Suffolk on May 28-30 – has been postponed and will now take place on September 4-6 at the same venue. Main headliners Richard Hawley and Asleep At The Wheel have confirmed they are available for the new dates and the festival say that are “working with agents and management to move the rest of the bill”.

All tickets will of be valid for the change of dates.