Country music fans will have to wait just a little bit longer for Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Association Awards to return to London, Ont.
On Tuesday, Tourism London confirmed that Country Music Week and the awards ceremony that caps it off will now be held from Nov. 27 to 30 instead of Sept. 9 to 12.
“In what is poised to be one of the first major events hosted by our city on the road to recovery, moving the dates allows us to host a safer, more inclusive event,” director of culture and entertainment Natalie Wakabayashi said in a release, referencing the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
The government has said that any Canadian who wants a coronavirus vaccine by September will be able to access one.
However, in late January, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stopped short of telling Canadians they can plan for a return to normal at the end of the year.
Organizers say a full schedule of events, as well as ticketing information, will be made available in the coming months, but they are already confirming that the CCMA Fan Village, CCMA Songwriters’ Series, CCMA Legends Show, CCMA Gala Dinner and Awards, and CCMA Seminar Series “will all be a part of the Country Music Week 2021 schedule.”
“The host organizing committee is working hard with the CCMA team to plan a number of exciting events for our community leading up to and including Country Music Week and the awards show,” says Wakabayashi.
The CCMA Awards are scheduled to be held Nov. 30.
London previously hosted the CCMA Awards in 2016 and also hosted the CMAOntario Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2020, though that event was reimagined as a drive-in award show due to the pandemic.
— with files from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore.