Beef Celebration Live Fire Is Being Postponed Over Coronavirus Concerns

In light of the global novel coronavirus outbreak and the city’s ban on mass gatherings through the end of April, the city’s beef-centric food event Live Fire, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 2, is being postponed to a later date.

The COVID-19 outbreak and the cancellation of the city’s biggest event, South by Southwest, was putting a strain on the “culinary community and highlighted concerns about staging large-scale events,” according to an email sent by the event’s organizers Austin Food & Wine Alliance (AFWA).

Live Fire refunds will be issued and a new date will be announced later. AFWA also encouraged would-be attendees to support businesses affected by the SXSW cancellation through various funds and events.

In order to mitigate the spread of novel coronavirus, the City of Austin announced yesterday that large gatherings (events with 2,500 people or more) are banned unless organizers can show there are clear methods to prevent the potential transmitting of the virus. There are 13 confirmed diagnoses in Texas, though none in Austin as of yet.

As of the publishing of this article, the city’s other big food festival, the Austin Food & Wine Festival, is still scheduled to happen on Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26. Eater has reached out for more information; watch this space for updates.

Live Fire usually features Texas and otherwise chefs cooking up beef dishes. This year’s event would’ve featured Houston chef Hugo Ortega, among others.