MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean organizers cancel Viña del Mar 2022 Festival yet again due to COVID-19

The 2020 edition was also on the verge of being canceled due to the ongoing social crisis

Chile's Government and organizers have decided yet again Wednesday to cancel the 2022 edition of the iconic Viña del Mar International Song Festival due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Viña del Mar's City Council made that decision due to financial and capacity criteria at the request of the TV broadcasters of the show, one of the most famous in Latin America.

Holding the event while at the same time following sanitary measures with 35% capacity (14,100 attendees in total) would lead to heavy losses for the beach resort, 110 kilometres from Santiago.

It is the second suspension in a row for a festival that dates back to 1960. The contest, the longest-running and most relevant Spanish-speaking event in the world are broadcast every year on television in various countries and has featured artists such as Plácido Domingo, Luis Miguel or Elton John.

The suspension was announced just as the country is going through one of its best pandemic moments with more freedom than ever since the arrival of the virus and with around 1% positivity in PCR tests for weeks.

The country, with 1.64 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 37,000 deaths, is gradually recovering after a serious second wave that lasted from March to July with extensive quarantines.

The 2020 edition was also on the verge of being cancelled due to the serious social crisis in which Chile was plunged then, although the contest was finally held amid violent protests, with dozens of injured and arrested.