Mann Center suspends the remainder of its 2020 season, including Roots Picnic and HoagieNation

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts has made the decision this afternoon to “suspend completely” the remainder of its 2020 concert schedule. President and CEO Catherine M. Cahill says the decision was made “[o]ut of an abundance of caution and as directed by the City of Philadelphia.”

This announcement comes only a few hours after Roots Picnic 2020, which was originally scheduled for August 1 at the Fairnount Park venue, was called off. The Hall & Oates HoagieNation Festival, which was originally scheduled for May 23 and was then moved to September 4, was also indefinitely postponed before the official announcement. Many of the other concerts meant to pass through the Mann Center this summer have already been cancelled or postponed by the artists.

To help offset the financial burden of eliminating the remainder of its 2020 season, the Mann has launched the Let the Music Play Resiliency Fund. This emergency fund will not only aid the annual costs of the center itself, but will help contribute to Education & Community Engagement virtual programming, which the Mann has been providing to families in the greater Philadelphia area at the start of the pandemic.

Roots Picnic and HoagieFest are not the only festivals that recently announced cancellations or postponements. Yesterday, the city of Chicago announced the cancellation of all special events through Labor Day, including Lollpalooza and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Yet Cahill stresses that, ultimately, these suspensions are only temporary: “The music will be back in 2021; we are simply on an extended intermission, and we are looking forward to saving you a seat.”

Read and watch the full announcement here.