CoronaVirus Update: PaleyFest 2020 Postponed

PaleyFest 2020 has been postponed due to concerns around the spread of Coronavirus. The signature annual event was supposed to begin on Friday with a tribute to Modern Family, but that will not be the case anymore. PaleyFest was originally scheduled for March 13 to 21 and had events organized screenings around One Day at a Time, NCIS: 400th Episode Celebration, The Boys, Star Trek: Picard, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Schitt’s Creek, and A Special Evening with Dolly Parton. Now, the event will have to go on at a later date, but the caution being exercised makes sense.

“As you are aware, spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to remain of the utmost public concern. For several weeks now, the Paley Center, along with our venue host, The Dolby Theatre, has monitored the situation closely, staying in daily contact with local, state, and federal partners, as well as following the recommendations issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and following the guidelines of the local health department,” The Paley Center said in a statement.

It continued, “Based on the most recent news and out of an abundance of concern, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s PaleyFest. While we were looking forward to presenting another stellar lineup of PaleyFest events, the safety of our event participants, guests, and staff is the highest priority…We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time, and look forward to welcoming you to PaleyFest later this year.”

Current options to reschedule the festival are being discussed. Ticket purchases for the original dates will be honored when the new ones are announced. This all comes hours after E3 was also canceled in the city. The NBA and NCAA also discussed plans for alternative arrangements around their events in Los Angeles and beyond.

The ESA put out a statement about the gaming convention being canceled. “After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry–our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners–we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles,” the ESA explained.