Maitland Showground was supposed to host the final leg of the regional touring festival on May 9, with international artists Kelis, Supergrass and The Sugarhill Gang and Australian acts Tones and I, Dope Lemon, Mallrat and San Cisco scheduled to perform.

Live and breaking news updates: The coronavirus crisis in Newcastle and the Hunter

Ticket-holders for this year's sold-out Maitland leg can either receive a full refund or transfer their ticket to next year's festival.

Maitland Showground will next host Groovin The Moo on Saturday, April 24, 2021.

Promoters Steve Halpin and Rod Little said: "There is nothing that we love more than seeing our Moo Crew in each of our regions and we are deeply saddened that this won't be happening this year.

"Our sincere thanks to everyone who has been involved in GTM this year and in years past. We're aware that this is impacting many people around the world and we encourage you to look after each other."

It's the first time since Groovin The Moo began in Gloucester in 2005 that the festival hasn't gone ahead.

Over its 15-year history the festival has become a rite of passage for thousands of Hunter youth and has expanded to Adelaide, Canberra, Bunbury, Townsville and Bendigo.

Groovin The Moo has also attracted some of the world's biggest stars. Only last year US teen pop mega star Billie Eilish headlined.

We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we need to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.