The global coronavirus pandemic has upended lives in 2020 — and has caused the cancellation of just about every major public event where masses of people gather.
With health organizations and most government officials strongly deterring large public gatherings, the organizers of festivals, galas, concert tours and other events have pressed the pause button on this year's dates in an an effort to avoid spreading the virus.
From the Summer Olympics and Comic-Con to Taylor Swift's "Lover" Tour and more, here are just some of the events that have been nixed.
Taylor Swift's "Lover" Tour and more
Taylor Swift has postponed every concert date on her 2020 "Lover" Tour. But the singer-songwriter vowed to reschedule for 2021. "I'm so sad I won’t be able to see you guys in concert this year, but I know this is the right decision. Please, please stay healthy and safe," she tweeted in April. "I'll see you on stage as soon as I can but right now what’s important is committing to this quarantine, for the sake of all of us."
Swift is hardly alone in postponing her tour. Elton John, Harry Styles, the Zac Brown Band, the Rolling Stones, Justin Bieber and many more musicians have also postponed their 2020 concert dates.
Kelly Clarkson's Las Vegas residency
Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson announced last month that she would postpone the April 1 opening of her Las Vegas residency, "Invincible," until July. "I can’t wait to see you this summer," she wrote.
Summer Olympics
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee announced jointly in late March that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo would be postponed until 2021. The games will now be held from July 23 - August 8 of next year.
Gymnast Simone Biles, who was set to be one of the headliners at the Summer Olympics, told TODAY earlier this month she cried when she heard the games had been postponed, though she called it "the right decision."
"We need to make sure that everyone in the U.S. and around the world is healthy and safe,'' said Biles. "It was hard, but it's OK."
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Oktoberfest
Beer lovers mourned this week after Bavarian officials announced that Germany's famous Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, had been canceled this year. The festival, which was scheduled to begin in late September and last through early October, draws more than 6 million attendees.
"It hurts, it's such a pity," Minister President Markus Söder of Bavaria, in southern Germany, said in a news conference. "We have agreed that the risk is simply too high."
The Met Gala
The annual Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City won't take place this year. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, announced in March that the organizers of fashion's biggest night out — which draws a who's who of Hollywood stars and fashion world luminaries — had postponed the event indefinitely.
Comic-Con
The virus caused San Diego's Comic-Con to be canceled for the first time in 50 years. The annual conference, a haven for pop culture freaks and comic geeks, was scheduled to take place in July. "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision," SDCC spokesperson David Glazner said in a statement. "We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy."
NYC Pride March
The NYC Pride March has been canceled for the first time in its half-century history. The annual event, which draws millions of revelers, celebrates the LGBTQ community in New York City. Organizers shared the news in April shortly after New York Mayor Bill De Blasio announced the cancellation of permits for all large events for the month of June.