(Austin, TX) -- South by Southwest will not happen this year in Central Texas.
The City of Austin announced the music, media, and technology festival's cancellation Friday, citing the threat of coronavirus. Austin and Travis County officials also declared local emergencies due to worries about the disease.
Officials with SXSW, which is a private event, promised the festival would go on as planned. Several companies including WarnerMedia, Twitter, Apple, and Netflix canceled their exhibitions at the festival.
There was also an online petition calling for the event to be held off.