It was announced this week that organizers have decided to postpone the 15th anniversary edition of Hellfest to June 18 - 20, 2021. They released the following statement:

"Hellbangers, The French authorities signed the end of the game. There will be no Hellfest this year.

"Over the past few days, many of you have been concerned about this 15th anniversary edition. You showed us your support in this unprecedented situation that hits us full in the face so badly. Just like you, we believed until the last minute that the festival could take place this year.

"Unfortunately, in the face of this unprecedented situation, the Loire-Atlantique Prefecture and Ministry of Culture took the only reasonable decision, to ban the festival. The 2020 Hellfest Edition is therefore cancelled. We are supporting their decision and would like to thank them for their consideration and responsiveness towards our festival.

"The longer the days went by, the more it seemed impossible to envisage a 2020 edition, guaranteeing a satisfactory organization and most important: your safety. Aware that the risk of contagion related to the COVID-19 will still be high in June, it would have been irresponsible and dangerous for us to allow tens of thousands of fans - shirtless and thirsty- to gather in such a restricted area. The public authorities also told us that they are no longer able to guarantee the usual safety and rescue services (i.e. police unit, emergency units, medical support, etc) for any large gathering like ours."

Further details at hellfest.fr.

Forbes.com has picked up on the situation and drawn attention to a portion of the official statement outlining Hellfest's resulting conflict with their insurance company:

“Aware of the stakes and its responsibility, the Hellfest Productions association had nevertheless taken care to take out an “all except” type insurance with the aforementioned company ALBINGIA, a French insurance company with its headquarters in Levallois Perret, for the low sum of € 175,000, corresponding to the amount of the contract premium supposed to cover us from potential risks leading to a cancellation. This same insurance contract clearly stipulates that pecuniary losses due to possible pandemics will be covered, provided that the contract was signed before the appearance and recognition of this pandemic by the French authorities or by WHO. Our contract was signed on December 17, 2019, before the official appearance of the virus in China.

Only here, our dear insurance company shows to who still doubted it, that it is easier to pay contract premiums rather than to obtain compensation for damages supposed to be covered: ALBINGIA sent us an end of non receive on the pretext that this 'type' of pandemic did not fall within the terms of our insurance policy.”

Forbes.com: "In the coming weeks/months there will be more announcements regarding the rest of Europe’s metal and rock festivals. However, as June music tours and festival cancellations unfold in both the U.S. and Europe, it’s strange to find the status of Mötley Crüe’s much anticipated stadium tour unchanged. As the biggest U.S. rock tour of the summer, there’s yet to be any announcement regarding a postponement or cancellation. The tour is currently set to embark on June 18th, and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee recently stated in an interview 'Everything’s still a go.'"