Nashville Cancels Annual Tin Pan South Songwriting Festival Over Coronavirus Fears

Nashville is canceling its annual Tin Pan South Songwriting Festival over ongoing concerns about the coronavirus, as well as allowing Nashville time to recover from the deadly Nashville tornado. The event, which was to include Jake Owen, Jamey Johnson, Ty Herndon, Nicolle Galyon and more, was originally scheduled for March 24 to March 28. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

“After heavy consideration, in light of the tornado this week as well as growing health concerns over the coronavirus, we have decided to reschedule Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival to later this year, in the summer,” NSAI executive director Bart Herbison said in a statement.

“We feel this is the responsible decision, and it is supported by Tin Pan venues and sponsors involved in the festival,” he continued. “We want to thank everyone who had planned to participate in or attend the festival, and appreciate the support in rescheduling it.”

While the official event is being canceled, Herbison acknowledged some venues might still continue with their scheduled shows, with any proceeds going to tornado relief efforts in and around Nashville.

“It is possible that several of the venues will move forward with the previously scheduled events,” Herbison acknowledged. “This will be decided between the venues and participants and it is likely that several events will now be modified to benefit tornado relief efforts.”

The coronavirus continues to impact the country music community. Old Dominion pulled out of their scheduled performance at the C2C Festival in Europe, scheduled for from March 13 to March 15.

“After much consideration, we have decided to withdraw from our upcoming performances as part of the [Country 2 Country Festival] in Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, London, and Glasgow,” Old Dominion shared on Instagram. “We are so sorry to disappoint our fans overseas; however, with the growing uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the virus that is spreading throughout the world, the safety and security of our entire team is the top priority.”

“We are forever grateful for every opportunity we get to witness just how far our music is reaching, and we will be back across the world as soon as we can,” they continued. “Much love and thank you for your support. -Matthew, Trevor, Brad, Geoff & Whit.”

Updates will be posted on the Tin Pan South website as available.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of St. Jude