Treefort postponing music festival to September due to coronavirus concerns

In response to concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Treefort Music Fest and its ancillary conferences, including Hackfort, are being postponed until Sept. 23-27.

“We have been monitoring Coronavirus (COVID-19) and have been in constant contact with The City of Boise and Central District Health in this rapidly changing environment,” the organization said in a statement. “With support from The City of Boise and Central District Health, it was determined that postponing the festival is the best option for the Treasure Valley, the far-reaching Treefort community and the individuals and organizations that support Treefort Music Fest.”

As recently as Tuesday, the organization had said the event, now in its ninth year, would go on as scheduled with a number of steps in place intended to help prevent transmission.

All tickets will be valid for the September festival, and tickets can still be purchased through Sept. 27. Any lineup additions and changes will be announced as needed. Refund requests can be sent to [email protected].

Central District Health, the local health district serving Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties in Idaho, lauded the decision.

“Central District Health supports the proactive decision of Treefort organizers to postpone this impactful community event and applauds their attention to and concern for our community’s health and wellbeing,” the organization said in a statement. “Though Idaho currently remains at zero confirmed cases of COVID-19, we all play a part in protecting our community amidst this new virus — and we recognize it can mean making very challenging decisions.”

The event was scheduled to bring 500 bands to 26 venues in Boise. In addition, 10 ancillary events ranging from yoga to storytelling were also planned. About 85 local businesses and organizations were partnering to help create the event, which brought in tens of thousands of people each year from around the world.

The event had been scheduled to start on March 25.

The cancellation happened not long after SXSW, a similar music festival in Austin, was also canceled.