Hopscotch Music Festival cancels annual Raleigh event, hopes to return next year
The Hopscotch Music Festival, one of Raleigh’s most popular music events, is canceled this September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It joins other major Raleigh events, like the World of Bluegrass Festival and Dreamville Festival, which also have been canceled this year. Health officials say mass gatherings can be super spreaders of the coronavirus disease.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality of life for North Carolina and the world at large, we have held out hope that our festival still may go on as planned,” festival organizers said in a statement. “But it has become clear to ensure the safety of our attendees, employees, artists and volunteers, Hopscotch Music Festival will no longer take place in 2020.
“Hopscotch is — and always will be — a community-driven event, and this decision was reached with the well-being of our community in mind,” the statement said.
Organizers say they plan to scheduled online events this fall “with the goal of helping those hit hardest by the pandemic.”
“The venues, artists, bars, local retail and restaurants that help make Hopscotch so special each year can use our support right now, and we hope to be able to contribute to their future in the months to come.”
The organizers hope to have the event Sept. 9-11, 2021 instead. The annual event brings thousands of people to downtown Raleigh every year.
The Hopscotch Music Festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, features music in venues both large and small, from Red Hat Amphitheater and a stage set up on Fayetteville Street to dive bars and indoor concert venues. In addition to ticketed events, Hopscotch is accompanied by day parties, or musical acts that sometimes perform for free in spots all over downtown Raleigh.
In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper has limited mass gatherings to no more than 25 people under Phase Two of the reopening plan. Phase Three could begin in mid-July if coronavirus benchmarks improve.
Hopscotch began in Raleigh in 2009. Past headliners have been James Blake, Dirty Projectors, Faye Webster and Little Brother.
Those who bought tickets can get a refund or have their tickets roll over to the 2021 show.
Change of plans
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass festival, scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 3, will be presented online. It generated an estimated $18.65 million in direct economic impact within Wake County last year, a new record, Visit Raleigh reported.
Dreamville was originally scheduled for April 4, but was postponed until Aug. 29. Organizers canceled it in May. The daylong event attracted 40,000 people to the 308-acre park last year.
Last year’s inaugural festival featured the Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole, artists on Cole’s Dreamvillle label, and national acts like SZA, Big Sean, 21 Savage, 6LACK, Nelly and the Triangle’s Grammy-nominated Rapsody.
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 2:23 PM.
