Nashville’s Tin Pan South Songwriting Festival Announces New Dates Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

After being forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nashville’s Tin Pan South Songwriting Festival has announced new dates! The event, originally scheduled for March 24 to 28, has been rescheduled for Oct. 19 to 24, Nash Country Daily reports.

Tin Pan South was one of the first events to announce it was rescheduling as coronavirus began to impact events all over the country, as Nashville also began the recovery process after the deadly tornadoes.

“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.”

Herbison had hoped some of the venues would be able to still host the original shows, with proceeds helping the tornado relief efforts, which unfortunately could not take place due to Mayor John Cooper’s order that bars and restaurants in parts of downtown close due to coronavirus.

“It is possible that several of the venues will move forward with the previously scheduled events,” Herbison said at the time. “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 next major event in Nashville is CMA Fest, scheduled to be held June 4 to 7 in Nashville. According to CMA Fest’s website, the event is still going on as planned.

“CMA is first and foremost committed to the health and safety of our fans, artists and community,” a statement on the website reads. “We are continuously monitoring the very latest guidance from local, state and national authorities to carefully evaluate the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, we are regularly tracking travel advisories and restrictions, which currently do not include restrictions for any location in the United States.”

Jake Owen, Travis Denning, Jamey Johnson and more were scheduled to perform during the original Tin Pan South dates. Songwriters and venues for the new dates have yet to be announced. Updates will be posted at the event’s website.

Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Winter