Cannes Lions could be moving to October in response to growing concerns about Covid-19.
The International Festival of Creativity is still scheduled to take place June 22-26 in the south of France. On Wednesday, however, Festival organizers confirmed they have secured alternative dates of Oct. 26-30, and said a final decision about when to hold the Festival will come no later than April 15.
“As we stand today, all of our plans are proceeding as scheduled and we are still working towards Cannes Lions 2020 taking place as planned on 22 June,” said Simon Cook, managing director, Cannes Lions, in a statement. “However, as the global situation is evolving constantly, we want to be open about our contingency plans. We have consulted with our customers and partners and have prepared accordingly by putting measures in place to allow flexibility, should we need it. As always, the safety of all those involved is our utmost priority, and any decision we take will reflect this.”
Cannes Lions said that regardless of when the Festival is held, organizers are “fully committed to awarding Lions in 2020: all entries will still be judged and awarded by our global juries.” The process and deadlines for submitting remain unchanged.
The possibility of cancellation or postponement has been growing by the day, as large events around the world are put on hold while the coronavirus is still spreading at an alarming rate. Last week, SxSW was cancelled for 2020 and on Monday, the One Club in New York announced Creativity Week, along with the One Show and ADC Awards, would move online only for this year.