A big country-music festival in Manitoba is off for this year.

Organizers of Dauphin’s CountryFest have announced the 2020 show, which was planned for July 2-5, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Manager Rob Waloschuk says organizers have been monitoring the spread of COVID-19, but with no sign as to when the situation can stabilize allowing for a return to normalcy, they had no choice but to make the decision to cancel the show.

Some of those who were to perform included Trace Adkins, Dallas Smith, Corb Lund and Joe Diffie.  Diffie, who was to be a part of the show on July 5, died March 29 at the age of 61 from COVID-19.