Grace Jones Meltdown Festival postponed until 2021

The Southbank Centre has announced that Grace Jones’ Meltdown festival which was set to take place this summer has been postponed until 2021.

The musician and model had curated a selection of artists to perform at the festival who have all confirmed they will perform next year, after Southbank Centre announced they would close all their venues until June 30, 2020.

Grace Jones said: “Regretfully my Meltdown festival this year must be rescheduled to June 2021 due to the coronavirus.

“I am gravely disappointed, but also delighted to be working with the amazing Southbank Centre team who have been able to successfully move the festival dates, along with all of our incredible line-up.

“Stay safe, stay home and see you next year.”

Grace Jones joins an esteemed company of artists to head up the festival, including David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Nick Cave, Lee Scratch Perry, M.I.A., and Robert Smith, following her former collaborator Nile Rodgers, who delivered a critically acclaimed Meltdown last year.

Southbank Centre will be in touch with all ticket holders in early May with information on how tickets can be transferred to the new dates.

Bengi Unsal, head of contemporary music at the Southbank Centre, said: “We are pleased to announce that Grace Jones’ vision for Meltdown will still be realised, albeit in June 2021.

“We’d like to give the biggest thanks to Grace Jones, all the artists on the line-up and their hard working teams, without whom this would not have been possible.

“The safety of our staff, artists and visitors is our top priority at this time and although we are disappointed Meltdown won’t go ahead this year, we feel this is the best course of action for such a big festival.

“We look forward to Grace Jones’ Meltdown in 2021 which we are sure will be one to remember.”

All ticket holders for other planned events this Spring will receive information of rescheduled dates, credit vouchers, donations and refunds.

Gillian Moore, director of music at the Southbank Centre said: “This is a challenging time for the artists we work with, for our staff and for the millions of audience members who enjoy what we do.

“It’s for this reason that we are excited to announce that this special event, a highlight of the Southbank Centre’s Contemporary Music programme, can still go ahead in 2021.

“In these uncertain times, one thing we can be sure of is that we are going to need music and the arts more than ever.”