Coronavirus cancellations: A complete guide to the events, films, theatre shows, gigs and restaurants affected by Covid-19

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Harry Fletcher23 March 2020

Culture is facing its biggest crisis in generations, with the coronavirus outbreak forcing postponements and cancellations across the UK.

We hope we’ll all be taking our seats at the theatre, getting involved down the front at gigs, spending quiet afternoons in galleries, eating out in world-leading restaurants and heading out to parties before long – but it might be a while before that’s possible.

We’ve compiled a list of all the major venues and events that have been cancelled in London as a result of the pandemic, with sections for events, theatre, film and music. Unless specified, the events have been cancelled or postponed until further notice.

We’ll keep this updated regularly – we hope to see you out there supporting London’s culture as soon as we can.

Events

  • London Raw Wine fair – London’s celebration of natural and organic wine has been postponed from March 8-9 until further notice.
  • The London Book Fair – One of the first events to announce its cancellation, the event at Olympia had been due to take place on March 10-12.
  • Vegan Life – The celebration of plant-based food had been due to take place at Alexandra Palace from March 14-15.
  • St Patrick’s Day parade – Had been due to take place in Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square on March 15, until it was cancelled by mayor Sadiq Khan.
  • BFI Flare Film Festival – The event, which celebrates LGBTIQ+ cinema in the capital, had been due to take place at BFI Southbank from March 18-29.
  • The Chelsea Flower Show – The Royal Horticultural Society has announced that all of its events will be cancelled until the end of June, including the main event planned for May 19-23.
  • The Other Art Fair – The event Truman Brewery was planned for March 19-22 before being cancelled.
  • The Boat Race – The annual race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge was set to be staged on the River Thames on March 29.
  • London Coffee Festival – The celebration of all things java has been moved from April 2-5 until July 23-26.
  • The London Marathon – More than 40,000 runners will now wait six months to complete the 26.2 mile route, with the race moved from April 26 to October 4.
  • London Original Print Fair – The event at the Royal Academy was slated for May 1-3.
  • Parkrun – All upcoming Parkrun races and events around the world have been cancelled for the next month at least.
  • Capital's Summertime Ball – The annual music event had been due to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 6.
  • London Pride - The event, which welcomed 1.5m visitors in 2019, has been postponed from June 27

Arts

London Museums and Galleries closed during Coronavirus

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Unless specified, all the galleries listed below are closed to the public indefinitely. For more information on London’s historic galleries and art spaces which have been closed due to the virus, read the full guide here.

  • The Tate Modern and Tate Britain - Closed until May 1, although this could be subject to change.
  • The National Gallery - Closed from March 19-May 4.
  • The National Portrait Gallery 
  • The Natural History Museum 
  • The British Museum 
  • The Serpentine Galleries
  • The Southbank Centre, including the Hayward Gallery
  • The Institute of Contemporary Arts
  • The Barbican Centre
  • The Festival of Ideas - despite The Royal Academy remaining open at the moment, its event due to run April 29-May 3 has been cancelled.
  • Welcome Collection
  • House of Illustration
  • Photographers’ Gallery - Closed until March 31, although that could be subject to change.
  • The Vagina Museum
  • South London Gallery

Film

Films impacted by the coronavirus outbreak so far

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The UK’s cinemas have virtually all been shut this month in reaction to the outbreak, with chains such as Odeon, Vue, Cineworld and Picturehouse taking the decision to temporarily close theatres as a precaution. Independents including the Prince Charles Cinema are also shut and calling for people to buy memberships to support them during the uncertainty.

The UK is just one of the countries to do so, with China, Japan and Italy’s cinemas all closed to the public. The BFI Flare Film Festival has also been cancelled, with the future of Cannes also looking uncertain.

A host of films have been postponed until later in the year – or even 2021 in some cases. See a full list of the major releases affected below.

  • A Quiet Place 2 – postponed form March 19, new release date TBA.
  • Mulan – postponed from March 27, new release date TBA.
  • Peter Rabbit 2 – postponed from March 27 to August 7.
  • No Time To Die – postponed from April 3 to November 12.
  • The New Mutants – postponed from April 3, new release date TBA.
  • The Secret Garden – postponed from April 4 until August 14. 
  • Antlers – postponed from April 17, new release date TBA.
  • Black Widow – postponed from May 1, new release date TBA.
  • The Woman in the Window – postponed from May 15, new release date TBA.
  • Fast and Furious 9 – postponed from May 22, new release date April 21, 2021.
  • Antebellum – postponed from April 24, new release date TBA.
  • Spiral: From the Book of Saw – postponed from May 15, new release date TBA.
  • Avatar sequels – production on James Cameron’s sequels has been halted in New Zealand. It’s unknown whether the Avatar 2 (December 21, 2021), Avatar 3 (December 2023), Avatar 4 (December 2025) and Avatar 5 (December 2027) release dates are affected.
  • Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis project – production halted following star Tom Hanks’s COVID-19 diagnosis. The film is due for release in October 2021.

Theatre

London's West End Theatres go dark during coronavirus - In pictures

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Sadly, London’s West End is one of the areas taking the biggest hit from the virus. Just as Broadway went dark earlier this month, many of London’s theatres are closing their doors, with The Society of London Theatre advising that all of its member theatres shut temporarily. A list of the major theatres ceasing operation because of the outbreak is below. For more information on how to get refunds for theatre tickets, head here.

  • Kiln Theatre 
  • Donmar Warehouse 
  • The Royal Court Theatre
  • Sadler’s Wells - closed for up to 12 weeks
  • Menier Chocolate Factory - closed until April 12
  • Turbine Theatre
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella - postponed from September to October 9 at the Gillian Theatre.
  • The National Theatre
  • Royal Opera House
  • Old Vic Theatre 
  • Royal Court Theatre
  • The Southbank Centre
  • Almeida Theatre
  • Young Vic Theatre
  • Hampstead Theatre
  • Barbican Theatre
  • The Royal Albert Hall
  • ENO at the London Coliseum
  • Bush Theatre
  • Areola Theatre 
  • Soho Theatre
  • Theatre Royal Stratford East
  • The Yard Theatre
  • Park Theatre
  • Turbine Theatre
  • Bunker Theatre
  • Finborough Theatre

Music

Struggling: Live music and clubbing spaces are at risk during the outbreak
Jake Davis

With Boris Johnson urging people to maintain social distancing, coupled with travel for touring artists being rendered impossible, gigs have become something close to an impossibility.

The biggest news to come out of the music world is the cancellation of Glastonbury festival, which is undergoing a forced ‘fallow year’ in 2020. Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney had been due to perform at Worthy Farm from June 24-28, but the 50th anniversary of the festival has been cancelled.

With too many gigs and tours cancelled due to the coronavirus to mention below, instead we’ve compiled a list of the major London gig venues which have been temporarily closed so far.

  • The O2
  • Alexandra Palace
  • Fabric
  • Phonox
  • The Cause
  • Ministry of Sound
  • XOYO
  • Egg
  • Royal Albert Hall
  • Cafe Oto

Restaurants

Coronavirus restaurant closures and cancelled food events in London

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While there’s an ever-growing number of restaurants shutting in London, plenty of top places are looking to keep service going remotely, offering home delivery – check out our full guide here. See a full list of the temporary restaurant closures below.

  • D&D London
  • Corbin & King
  • Hawksmoor 
  • Clove Club, Luca, Two Lights 
  • Darjeeling Express
  • Trishna, ​Berenjak
  • Bleecker Burger
  • Bar Swift
  • Seven Dials Market
  • Flank, Good Birds
  • Kurtir
  • Wander
  • The Frog Hoxton, Ugly Butterfly 
  • Brat 
  • Som Saa 
  • The Laughing Heart 
  • Kiln, Smoking Goat
  • Carousel 
  • Kolamba
  • Forza Wine
  • Kricket
  • Silo, Cub
  • Les 110 de Taillevent 
  • Blixen 
  • Ham
  • Monty’s Deli
  • Tonkotsu
  • Nightjar, Oriole
  • Hill & ​Szrok
  • The Marksman
  • Sarap
  • Bar Douro 
  • Bright, Peg
  • 12:51
  • Leroy
  • Chuku’s 
  • Snackbar
  • Sambal Shiok, Nasi Ecomony Rice
  • Breddos Tacos 
  • Pastaio Market Halls West End
  • Koya City
  • Kym’s 
  • Four Legs 
  • Berber and Q 
  • Llewelyn’s
  • Dumpling Shack
  • Elliot's Cafe
  • The Towpath Cafe 
  • Peckham Cellars 
  • Jidori
  • Brawn
  • Master Wei
  • Lupins, Pomelo
  • Royal China Queensway
  • Stoney Street, 26 Grains
  • Pidgin
  • Native
  • Portland, Clipstone, Quality Chop House and Emilia​
  • Patron Cave à Manger, Kentish Town​
  • Rochelle Canteen at the ICA 
  • Wilder
  • Black Axe Mangal 
  • Deliciously Ella 
  • Jinli
  • Joy King Lau
  • BaoziInn Chinatown 2

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