UPDATE: One of Asia's leading food festivals postponed

UPDATE: Bali suffered its first coronavirus death this week

One of Asia's leading gourmet events, the Ubud Food Food Festival 2020, has been postponed due to the current worldwide concern surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19).

Event organiser Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati said the festival has been postponed from April 17-19 until June 26-28.

“The safety and health of festival-goers, speakers, vendors, staff, volunteers and people of Ubud is our top priority,” said Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati.

“As an important part of the Ubud community and Indonesia’s overall culinary scene, UFF has a responsibility to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to ensure the community stays healthy and safe.

"With a large festival gathering, the foundation does not have the capacity to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved. With travelers now being advised not to travel to Bali, this is also jeopardizing the festival’s sustainability."

UFF founder and director Janet DeNeefe said: “We are overwhelmed by the support from participating chefs and speakers over our decision and we are grateful for the kind offers to assist with this change.

“We would never do anything that could potentially cause harm to our community. We’ll continue to follow the news surrounding this topic to ensure we present a safe and fun festival.”

A new program and full line-up will be announced as soon as possible. All ticket buyers have the opportunity to refund their tickets or use them in June.