Just for Laughs postpones, JazzFest, FrancoFolies, Velo Quebec cancel summer 2020 festivals

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MONTREAL — Three of Montreal’s largest festivals -- and tourist draws -- have announced they are cancelling plans for the summer.

Just For Laughs will postpone its festival until the fall, and will run from Sept. 29 to Oct. 11. Zoofest and Off-JFL will also be affected.

The Montreal International Jazz Festival and the FrancoFolies have both also announced they are cancelling for this summer.

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Those announcements were all made on Friday. On Thursday, it was announced that Montreal's Fringe Festival is also cancelled for 2020.

"We continue to follow the evolution of COVID-19 very closely as well as the directives issued by the Government of Quebec and we will adapt as we go along," read a statement from the Just for Laughs team.

All tickets already purchased for the summer comedy shows will remain valid and customers will be contacted shortly with the new rescheduling dates, the statement read. Passport tickets will also remain valid.

The Just for Laughs team said it is also considering adapting the outdoor portion of its festival and is "currently evaluating various scenarios" to follow government guidelines regarding gatherings and physical distancing. Any changes will be announced at a later date.

"The decision to cancel the Jazz fest and Les Francos was "not an easy one, but it had become necessary in order to protect the public, the artists and our employees,” said Jacques Primeau, general manager of both festivals.

Velo Quebec also announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the Tour de l’Ile de Montreal on Friday.

The event was part of the Go velo Montreal Festival, which was supposed to take place from May 31 to June 7. Tour la Nuit, the Metropolitan Challenge and bike-to-work activities are cancelled as well, as is Monteregie's Defi Velo Mag, which was set to take place on June 20.

The organization will soon contact everyone who was signed up for the events by email. Subscriptions will be refundable or transferrable to 2021.

Velo Quebec is hoping to hold next year’s Go velo Montreal Festival from May 30 to June 6.