The 2020 French Quarter Festival has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced Friday.

The 37th edition of the free festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees each spring, is now set for Oct. 1-4.

The French Quarter Festival was previously slated for April 16-19, with 25 stages arrayed from the Old U.S. Mint to Woldenberg Riverfront Park.

The decision to reschedule for fall was made "following the recommendation of public health officials and with the support of the City of New Orleans," the festival said in a statement.

"We understand the impact this news brings to so many people. For fans who were traveling, we encourage you to contact your airline and hotel immediately for any changes. We are communicating directly with all artists, vendors, sponsors and staff on next steps."

The festival is produced by the non-profit French Quarter Festivals-Inc., which also presents the Satchmo Summerfest in August and the Christmas New Orleans Style concerts in December.

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French Quarter Fest is the largest entertainment event so far in New Orleans to be postponed or canceled in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Last spring the festival featured 1,700 musicians, most of them from New Orleans or south Louisiana. Studies have pegged the French Quarter Festival's annual economic impact at $200 million, as thousands of visitors from around the world fill the city's hotels, short-term rentals, restaurants and bars.

"Since 1984, our nonprofit has been committed to its mission to deliver an economic impact to the community and showcase local talent," the festival's statement said. "Visitor spending at our festival creates or supports nearly 2,100 full- and part-time jobs for our community. Though our plan has changed, our commitment to our mission hasn’t – in fact, it has grown stronger. Now, more than ever, our community needs us."

Citing the "unprecedented situation," the festival is soliciting donations "to help us stay strong."

This year, the French Quarter Festival would have been the weekend before the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Jazz Fest producers have not provided any updates about the status of that festival since a March 3 statement that read, "In cooperation with city and state officials and local tourism agencies, the Festival is monitoring the situation carefully. We continue to prepare for a successful and safe Jazz Fest."

Early this week, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees Louisiana’s lucrative tourism industry, said that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state wasn’t high enough to justify shutting down festivals. He disagreed with Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s decision to call off several free, outdoor events through the weekend, including St. Patrick’s Day parades, the Mardi Gras Indians’ “Super Sunday” event, and the Wednesday at the Square concert in Lafayette Square downtown.

+6 Hogs for the Cause latest New Orleans event canceled amid coronavirus concerns Hogs for the Cause, the charity cook-off and outdoor festival, has been called off due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

But circumstances have changed quickly over growing concern about the potential scope of what is now classified as a global pandemic.

Cancellations and postponements of major events across the country have snowballed this week.

Even as Nungesser was advocating for Louisiana festivals to stay the course, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, expected to draw 250,000 fans across two weekends in April in southern California, announced it would move to October. So, too, would its country-themed sister festival, Stagecoach, which would have coincided with the first weekend of Jazz Fest.

Pearl Jam and the Zac Brown Band postponed their spring tours of North America. The Who postponed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland that was to have concluded April 8. That announcement made no mention of the band’s subsequent shows in North America, including an April 25 stop at Jazz Fest.

On Wednesday, organizers of Hogs for the Cause, the two-day barbecue cook-off and music festival on the grounds of the UNO Lakefront Arena that was scheduled for March 27-28, canceled the event, which raises money for families of children being treated for brain cancer.

+4 2020 Buku festival in New Orleans postponed because of coronavirus fears The 2020 Buku Music + Arts Project has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

On Thursday, producers of the Buku Music + Arts Project at Mardi Gras World pushed back their hip-hop and electronic music festival from March 20-21 to Labor Day weekend in September.

However, the 15th annual Bayou Boogaloo festival is still slated to take place on the banks of Bayou St. John in New Orleans from May 15-17.