Neon Desert Music Festival Canceled For 2020

Sad news for music fans who were hoping we'd see at least one major concert in the Sun City in 2020. The Neon Desert Music Festival is cancelled for 2020. 2020 has ruined the hopes and dreams of music fans all around the city. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a wrench in the concert industry around the world. Bands and musicians are wondering when they will be allowed to tour again and crew members are trying to figure out how to make ends meet and if they will be able to hit the road again this year.

Now that we are halfway through 2020, it's looking less and less likely there will be concerts, and especially major music festivals. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (aka Coachellafest), Lollapalooza, Knotfest, Rock on the Range, Louder Than Life, Aftershock and other major music festivals were all cancelled earlier in the year after it became clear the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't going away anytime soon. Some festivals had waited till the last minute to cancel, hoping the country would be able to bend the curve significantly or that a vaccine would become available. Now halfway through 2020 promoters and organizers seem to be succumbing to the idea that there will be no major concerts or music festivals happening this year. One of those festivals is El Paso's own Neon Desert Music Festival.

Neon Desert has been a must-attend event in the Sun City since it was started back in 2011. The first year of Neon Desert drew about 10,000 attendees to downtown El Paso. Last year's event saw about 45,000 people descend upon downtown for the two-day event, according to AZ Central. This year was supposed to be the 10-year anniversary of the El Paso music festival but now it seems we will have to wait until 2021 to celebrate. The festival posted to their social media pages, saying the event for 2020 has been canceled. The organizers stated that they "did not see a way to deliver the festival you know and love in 2020." In the best interests of the fans, artists, vendors, and staff, the 10-year anniversary celebration will be celebrated next spring. The Neon Desert Music Festival is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend. You can read the festival's full statement below.