Radio City Rockettes Cancel Christmas Spectacular

If you have a family tradition of heading to Radio City Music Hall every year to see the "Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes"...well, there is some bad news.

For the first time since 1933, the Rockettes won't be kicking their way across the stage at Radio City Music Hall.

MSG Entertainment runs the show, and made the announcement last week:

We regret that the 2020 production of the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, presented by Chase, has been canceled due to continued uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. We are disappointed for everyone involved with the show, as well as for the many fans who make the Christmas Spectacular a cherished part of their holiday tradition. We look forward to welcoming audiences back for the 2021 production, which is on sale now. All tickets for the 2020 production will be automatically refunded at the point of purchase.

A few of the dancers took to Instagram to tell their fans about the news, and gave hope for next year too.

MSG Entertainment also announced they would be laying off about 350 employees, saying

This was a difficult decision ... as we know that our success rests on the strength of our people, who consistently set the industry standard for excellence and professionalism. While we believe this is a necessary step to protect the long-term future of our businesses, we continue to actively pursue solutions that will allow us to safely reopen our doors, so we’re able to bring as many employees back as quickly as we can, once a return date for live events is established.

While the cancellation of the Christmas Spectacular is the flashier headline, it really is basically just another event that is getting scratched off the calendar. What is scary is that a giant venue like Madison Square Garden is being forced to lay off staff. If something like MSG can't survive a pandemic with no live events, how can we possibly expect The Stone Pony or The Wonderbar or any of the other small venues around the Jersey Shore?