The MTV Video Music Awards are still going ahead, yet will be relocated to outdoor locations in New York City to protect public health and safety.
MTV’s Video Music Awards, one of the most well known music award ceremonies that takes place annually, is still going ahead despite the pandemic: however, the venue has been changed due to concerns over public health and safety as the coronavirus continues to rage across the country.
The award ceremony was set to return to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, an iconic arena in New York; however in a report by Page Six, MTV and Barclays Center have mutually agreed that due to safety concerns, they will not be holding the awards ceremony in the arena this year.
Instead, the VMAs will be held at “various outdoor locations” around New York City.
In a joint statement released by MTV and Barclays Center they stated:
The 2020 VMAs will be held on Sunday, Aug. 30 and pay homage to the incredible resiliency of New York with several outdoor performances around [NYC] with limited or no audience, adhering to all state and city guidelines. In close consultation with state and local health officials, it became clear at this time that outdoor performances with limited or no audience would be more feasible and safer than an indoor event.
The statement confirmed that the MTV VMAs will be returning to Barclays Center in 2021, and that MTV and Barclays will be taking all necessary action to ensure that the safety of the public comes first.
The United States of America is currently the epicentre of the coronavirus, with an estimated 5 million cases and over 160,000 confirmed deaths.
