Beach Hop has been postponed this year due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

In a post on Facebook, organisers says they have decided to postponed the event until November 25-29, after discussions with the DHB and Ministry of Health.

"We hope that the virus pandemic will be more controlled over the next eight months, so we can celebrate our 20th year of this wonderful event. More details for entrants about how this will work will follow in due course, so please don't throw away your entry packs in the meantime.

"We plan to roll everything over to these new dates including the prize vehicles, Ford Kiwi Rock'n'Roll Legends concert etc.

"We have taken our time to evaluate the options and considered what is best for our community to make the right decision. Each and every major event has a different dynamic and people must try to understand what goes on behind the scenes when making critical decisions in very stressful circumstances. You simply can not compare one event to another.

"First and foremost we treasure the town we live in and want to protect the people that live here and not put them at risk. We've been looking to central Government for leadership to guide us in making this decision.

"The announcement on Saturday that all travelers from overseas to New Zealand must have a compulsory 14 day self isolation period reinforced this decision, as our festival entertainment line up includes more than 20 people arriving from overseas to perform at the festival in various bands.

"This has wiped out our entertainment programme and, as Repco Beach Hop is a Rock'n'Roll Festival, this is a major component of what we are here to celebrate.

"We appreciate the damaging effect on the economy both national and local, and feel for the businesses that rely on the festival to survive. No doubt they've invested heavily in the event and we hope they will recover from this unforeseen hit.

"We are in exactly the same situation as we've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, and long hours, into Repco Beach Hop 20. If we can't recover this, then the future of the event is in serious jeopardy."

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson agrees with the organisers' decision to postpone.

'Everyone will understand the reason why and also how difficult the decision has been for organisers. But it's the right thing to do and I support the decision to postpone.

'Although there will be many people who now have their Beach Hop plans frustrated, I look forward to seeing the festival back in action on the new dates of 25^th-29^th November.