Art Dubai postponed due to coronavirus

Art Dubai has become the latest event to announce that its 2020 edition, slated to be held later this month, will now be postponed.

“In consideration of the ongoing global health implications of the coronavirus and having consulted with our partners and stakeholders, Art Dubai today announces that the 14th edition of the international art fair, scheduled for 25 – 28th March 2020, will be postponed,” a statement said.

“Given the essential role the fair plays in promoting local and regional artists, we have made the decision to stage a programme tailored to the local cultural community instead, including existing fair programme contributors and thought-leaders,” it added.

The new format is planned to run on the same dates, and will present events, exhibitions, talks and strands of the existing Art Dubai programme.

These will include local and regional gallery presentations, Global Art Forum and Campus Art Dubai.

Further details of the programme will be announced in due course, the statement said.

“With Dubai deploying the strictest medical and hygiene protocols, we will welcome international visitors in March, recommending that individuals follow advice from the authorities of their resident countries,” it added.

Art Dubai welcomed over 16,900 attendees last year, including a significant number of attendees from outside the UAE.

Several events globally and regionally have been cancelled or postponed over fears of the coronavirus, which has spread to over 70 countries worldwide with over 90,000 cases.

Locally, the Dubai International Boat Show, scheduled to be held later this month, has been postponed to November, while the Dubai Lynx has been shifted to September. The Ultra Abu Dhabi music festival has been postponed indefinitely.

Read: Dubai International Boat Show postponed

Late last month, the last leg of the UAE Tour cycling competition was cancelled after two members of the Italian technical team tested positive for the virus.