KAABOO to announce by mid-June if this year’s festival will be held, postponed or canceled

The coronavirus-fueled fate of this year’s KAABOO San Diego music, comedy and food festival will be determined by mid-June, according to KAABOO honcho Jason Felts.

The three-day event is scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at Petco Park, after being held from 2015 through 2019 at the Del Mar Racetrack and adjacent fairgrounds.

Felts, who has played a key role with the festival since 2016, is the CEO of Virgin Fest, which last year acquired KAABOO from its founders. He did not respond over the weekend in time to be quoted in Monday’s Union-Tribune article about the status of KAABOO, Wonderfront and other major festivals and concerts scheduled for San Diego this summer.

But in an email Tuesday evening, Felts shed some new light on the 2020 edition of KAABOO, which is scheduled to take place at Petco Park as a joint presentation by Virgin Fest and the San Diego Padres.

“We shall make a final decision on holding KAABOO San Diego no later than June 15th as further information becomes available,” Felts said in the email.

“Should the event either be postponed or canceled, current pass holders will have the option for full refunds. In the meantime, we wish everybody good health.”

KAABOO honcho Jason Felts, at center in sunglasses, watches OneRepublic perform at the Sunset Cliffs stage at KAABOO Del Mar on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. The fate of the 2020 KAABOO San Diego festival at Petco Park remains to be determined.

(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

In Monday’s Union-Tribune article about the status of KAABOO, Padres President of Business Operations Erik Greupner indicated the September festival will likely be rescheduled.

“We are ... actively working with our concert and festival promoter partners to reschedule their summer events and develop plans for those events that ensure the health and safety of all those who attend,” Greupner said.

“When we have more definitive information regarding the rescheduled events, we will work with our partners to communicate our plans publicly.”

Many other 2020 summer festivals have been postponed until next year or canceled outright because of the coronavirus.

On March 10, Indio’s annual Coachella and Stagecoach festivals were both postponed from their original April weekend dates to October.

It remains to be seen if California’s current ban of large public events will prevent the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals from taking place on their rescheduled dates in the fall.

On Saturday, the June 6 and 7 debut edition of Virgin Fest at Banc of California Stadium and Exposition Park in Los Angeles was canceled because of the coronavirus. That festival was being co-produced by Felts and the Richard Branson-led Virgin Group.

Here is Felts’ full statement about the 2020 edition of KAABOO San Diego:

“We are currently monitoring all city, county, state and national advisories pertaining to COVID 19 and large-scale gatherings with respect to KAABOO San Diego scheduled this September. While it is currently our wish to move forward with the event, the well-being of KAABOO’s fans, attendees, staff, performers and the San Diego community is of primary importance.

“We shall make a final decision on holding KAABOO San Diego no later than June 15th as further information becomes available. Should the event either be postponed or canceled, current pass holders will have the option for full refunds. In the meantime, we wish everybody good health.”