In a story we are following, The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, a.k.a. Coachella, and its sister Country music festival, Stagecoach Festival, have officially been postponed from April to October amid panic over the coronavirus outbreak. The event, which was set to take place in Indio, California, on the weekends of April 10th and April 17th, will now take place over of October 9th and October 16th. Fans seeking a total refund will be notified on Friday, 3/13/2020. The lineup was set to include headlining performances from Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean. In a Twitter post, Goldenvoice, the AEG subsidiary that organizes the festival, said: “At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns. While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.
“Coachella will now take place on October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 19, 2020. Stagecoach will take place on October 23, 24 and 25, 2020. All purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates. Purchasers will be notified by Friday, March 13 on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend.
“Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the desert this fall.”
The news of the possible postponement came as authorities in the Coachella Valley region confirmed three new cases of the coronavirus on Monday. An estimated 250,000 people attend Coachella, and an est. 85,0000 attend Stagecoach Fest each year at Empire Polo Club, about two hours outside of Los Angeles. No word yet as to how many, if any of the artists will make the postponed events.
Several other major festivals have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, including SXSW – South By Southwest in Austin and Ultra Festival in Miami, and Pearl Jam just postponed its spring U.S. tour.