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2021 music festivals are in flux as pandemic rages

Fort Worth’s Fortress Festival has been canceled, and SXSW has moved online.

As COVID-19 rages on and vaccines roll out slowly, some music festivals have scrapped their 2021 events while others are penciling in dates for the fall.

On Tuesday, promoters announced that the Fortress Festival had been canceled for the second year in a row. Founded in 2017, the eclectic Fort Worth festival was slated for April but is now scheduled to return in the spring of 2022. Ticketholders will be automatically refunded.

Also on Tuesday, organizers of the massive New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival said they’re moving the annual spring festival to Oct. 8-17. Officials will announce details about ticket refunds and exchanges in the coming weeks. Last year’s Jazzfest was canceled altogether.

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The Austin City Limits Music Festival, which was canceled in 2020, is still tentatively set to commemorate its 20th anniversary Oct. 1-3 and 8-10. South by Southwest announced it will move its entire music and multimedia festival online, from March 16-20.

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Meanwhile, question marks hang over the country’s other big festivals. There’s no official word yet on the fate of Coachella (still slated for April 9–11 and April 16–18), Lollapalooza (usually held mid-summer) or Bonnaroo (scheduled for Sept. 2-5).