For now, VidCon’s flagship U.S. edition is still a go amid a wave of cancellations of other events and shutdowns including the closure of Disneyland and other theme parks over the coronavirus outbreak.
VidCon US 2020 remains scheduled to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center from June 17-20, 2020, according to a spokesperson for the event. “We continue to monitor the situation, but at this time we have no plans to materially modify the event in any way,” the VidCon rep said in a statement.
The ViacomCBS-owned convention for internet video creators, fans and industry pros drew some 75,000 attendees to Southern California last year. In an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus, the state of California this week issued guidelines to cancel or postpone gatherings of 250 or more people through at least March 31.
“We understand your concerns and are keeping a close eye on all updates from the World Health Organization, the CDC, the California Department of Public Health and other groups to ensure a COVID-19 outbreak will not affect VidCon in June in Anaheim,” VidCon’s statement continues. “Our first priority is (as always) the safety and health of our sponsors, speakers, creators, attendees, and staff. We are working closely with our production partners and the Anaheim Convention Center and Visitor’s Bureau to ensure that VidCon 2020 in June will be a vibrant, fun, and educational celebration of online video — and safe for everyone.”
The U.S. running of VidCon, which started a decade ago around YouTube creators and their fans, is widening its outreach to TikTok influencers this year, announcing that stars from the platform including Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Avani Gregg, Payton Moormeier and Noen Eubanks.
Additional creators who had been confirmed to attend included Molly Burke, Hannah Hart, Coyote Peterson, Brent Rivera, Jenn McAllister, JaidenAnimations, Dez Machado, LaurDIY, Anthony Padilla, Vanessa and Veronica Merrell, Ben Azelart, Kat Blaque, VidCon founders John and Hank Green, Rachel Ballinger, Rosana Pansino, Joey Graceffa, and Elle Mills.
VidCon was acquired in 2018 by Viacom, which has merged with CBS to form ViacomCBS.
Last week, VidCon announced it was postponing its first-ever event in Abu Dhabi because of the coronavirus epidemic. Originally set for March 25-28, VidCon Abu Dhabi is now scheduled to take place Dec. 16-19, 2020 at Adnec, Abu Dhabi.