UK's Glastonbury Festival cancelled due to coronavirus

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Glastonbury Festival, the largest greenfield music festival in the world, has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, organisers said on Wednesday.

Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Diana Ross were set to headline at Glastonbury in its 50th year in June.

"Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option," said founder Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily Eavis.

"We're so sorry that this decision has been made. It was not through choice. But we look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you."

More than 135,000 tickets had been sold for the festival held on Eavis's dairy farm in southwest England, while millions more watch the performances on television.

Organisers said those who had the coveted tickets - they sold out in just 34 minutes last October - would be guaranteed an opportunity to attend in 2021.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison)