PARIS, Oct 2 — Next year’s ceremony in France to bestow Michelin stars on standout restaurants has been cancelled due to the coronavirus epidemic, the famous red guide said today.

The event was to have been hosted outside of Paris for first time ever, in Cognac in south-west France, on January 18.

"In the context of restrictions... on events that make it difficult to organise and host large gatherings, the Michelin Guide has regrettably taken the decision to cancel the star award ceremony,” it said in a statement.

Arrangements for the 2021 awards will be finalised later, but Michelin said Cognac would host the 2022 event.

The unveiling of the selection of star recipients in January, in whichever form, "will be an opportunity to highlight a profession which, faced with considerable challenges, continues to demonstrate an exceptional level of combativeness and creativity” in the face of Covid-19, Michelin’s international director Gwendal Poullennec said. — AFP