The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed for the first time in its history due to the coronavirus crisis, it was revealed on Thursday.

The annual film festival was due to take place between May 12 and May 23, but because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic organisers have said the event 'cannot be held on the scheduled dates'.

No plans are yet in place for the festival, but organisers are looking at pushing it back until late June or early July, with a firm decision set to be made in due course.

Cannes Film Festival is POSTPONED for the first time in history amid the coronavirus crisis (pictured: Margot Robbie at the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood premiere at last year's event)

Organisers said in a statement: 'At this time of global health crisis, our thoughts go to the victims of the COVID-19 and we express our solidarity with all of those who are fighting the disease.

'Today, we have made the following decision: The Festival de Cannes cannot be held on the scheduled dates, from May 12 to 23.

'Several options are considered in order to preserve its running, the main one being a simple postponement, in Cannes, until the end of June-beginning of July, 2020.

Postponed: Organisers took to Twitter to reveal the news, and they said in a longer statement: 'Our thoughts go to the victims of the COVID-19 and we express our solidarity with [them]'

Prestigious event: The 2019 Cannes Film Festival saw Bong Joon-ho earn the coveted Palme d'Or award for his film Parasite, which went on to win four Oscars including Best Picture

'As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known, in accordance with our ongoing consultation with the French Government and Cannes' City Hall as well as with the Festival's Board Members, Film industry professionals and all the partners of the event.'

The 2019 Cannes Film Festival saw Bong Joon-ho earn the coveted Palme d'Or award for his film Parasite, which went on to win four Oscars including Best Picture.

The event is just one of the many events being postponed or cancelled in the wake of the pandemic, which as of the time of writing has claimed almost 10,000 lives, with over 240,000 confirmed cases around the world.

Postponed, for now: In a longer statement event organisers shared their hope of reschedule the event for the summer (pictured, Elton John and Taron Egerton at the Rocketman premiere)

Music festivals including Coachella in the US and Glastonbury in the UK have been impacted by the virus - which is also known as COVID-19 - whilst several musicians have been forced to cancel or postpone tour dates.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that organisers of Glastonbury had decided to pull the plug on the 50th anniversary edition of the music event this June, where Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar were due to headline.

It had previously been reported that a major announcement was expected to happen this week and 'big meetings' were set to take place with staff beforehand.

Curtain call: It was confirmed on Wednesday that organisers of Glastonbury had decided to pull the plug on the event this June (pictured: Sunday headliner Taylor Swift)

Breaking the news to ticket-holders: Glastonbury founders Emily and Michael Eavis made the announcement on Twitter

Glastonbury founders Emily and Michael Eavis broke the news on Twitter on Wednesday.

'We are so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily', they posted.

The film industry has also been hit, with upcoming movie releases such as James Bond flick 'No Time To Die', Marvel movie 'Black Widow', and 'Fast and Furious 9' have all seen their release dates pushed back.