Coachella Rescheduled to October Over Coronavirus Concerns
Coachella is moving to the fall.
Festival organizers are working to reschedule the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to October. The annual event was scheduled for the weekends of April 10-12 and April 17-19 in Indio, Calif., but will likely not happen due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
High-level sources tell Billboard that promoter Goldenvoice is trying to save the festival from cancelation and move it to October. TMZ has confirmed with agents for several acts on the bill that the new dates are the consecutive weekends of Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18.
On Monday, there were three more cases of coronavirus in Riverside County where the festival takes place, raising questions about the fate of next month’s festival. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the county is now six.
Rescheduling the 20-year-old event won’t be an easy task as it involves hundreds of artists and their representatives, as well as hundreds of contractors and vendors. While not all the performers will be able to make the move, if enough of the headline acts agree, then the festival will be able to proceed in October. This year’s Coachella headliners include Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, and Rage Against the Machine.
Organizers hope to reach a decision within the next 48 hours. Goldenvoice is in the process of informing reps for all the acts. An official announcement will likely follow.
The news follows the cancelation of Austin’s South by Southwest, as well as Miami’s Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival. Global festivals including Tomorrowland Winter in France and Ultra Abu Dhabi have also been affected by the coronavirus.
UPDATE: Coachella has confirmed that the festival is moving to the weekends of Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18. Tickets for the April dates will be honored for October and refunds will be available to those who are unable to attend. Read the full statement below.
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 18, 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.
— Coachella (@coachella) March 10, 2020