Sydney's popular Sculpture by the Sea exhibition has been postponed with organisers concerned about a mass gathering of people ignoring social distancing.
The 2km trail of art along Sydney's eastern beaches and clifftops has become an annual fixture attracting half a million people.
But on Sunday it was announced the event, scheduled to run for a month from October 8, might not go ahead until 2021.
'Due to current public health orders limiting mass outdoor gatherings, our 2020 event will not be going ahead as planned,' director David Handley said.
Potential new dates for the exhibition include later in 2020 or early 2021.
Sydney's popular Sculpture by the Sea exhibition has been postponed less than a month before its starting date over fears of mass gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic (people pictured around Horizon by artist Mu Boyan)
Director David Handley said the event would be postponed to a later date where it could be run in a safe manner and not be at risk of breaching COVID-19 health orders (Sculpture Filter by Maurizio Perron is exhibited along the Bondi)
'We are continuing to work with ... agencies, including NSW Health on reviewing all options for an exhibition that will ensure safe attendance,' he added.
More than 100 artists have collectively spent up to $1.8 million freighting their sculptures to Sydney from across Australia and around the world for the 2021 event.
'So it was important to wait and see if there was any chance we could proceed with this year's exhibition as planned,' Mr Handley said.
'Now, like everyone, we are waiting to see what might be possible, being mindful that everyone's health comes first.'
Waverley mayor Paula Masselos said it would be impossible to guarantee safety for the tens of thousands of people expected to visit the exhibition.
The annual event, which started in 1997, attracts about half a million people every year and led to the creation of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibit in Perth
'The coastal walk has multiple entry and exit points, with users moving in different directions, on all sections, some of which are extremely narrow where 1.5 metre social distancing can be difficult,' Miss Masselos told The Sydney Morning Herald .
Both the council and Sculpture by the Sea must be satisfied they can safely run the event before submitting an exemption request to NSW Health.
The free art exhibition first ran in 1997 and runs for three weeks each year.
Its popularity led to the launch of the Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe in Perth, which is held every March.
Both the council and Sculpture by the Sea must be satisfied they can safely run the event before submitting an exemption request to NSW Health
