Update: According to Billboard, Coachella’s move to October is not quite a done deal, but could be finalized in the next 48 hours. Stagecoach, Goldenvoice’s country festival, could also be moved to October. Obviously is it a massive undertaking to get an entire lineup to switch to the fall, but there is hope that a deal can be done. For now, it is wait and see, with the event likely to just be canceled if a deal cannot be reached.
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Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has reportedly been postponed to October, according to a source familiar with the arranges, per New York Magazine/Huffington Post Contributor Yashar Ali. Ali tweeted that the festival was postponed due to coronavirus concerns and moved to the weekends of October 9 and 16. The lineup remains unchanged.
Scoop: A source familiar with the arrangements tells me that the Coachella festival will be postponed due to Coronavirus concerns and moved to the weekends of October 9 and 16.
As of now, the same lineup is confirmed to perform.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 10, 2020
The reports of the cancelation come in the wake of a wave of music tour and festival cancelations. Miami’s Ultra Music Festival 2020 was officially canceled just days ago, as was SXSW in Austin, Texas. Korean boy band BTS canceled their tour recently, which prompted fans to donate their refunds — over $300,000 — to coronavirus relief. UK rapper Stormzy also recently postponed the Asian dates of his tour.
Earlier today, Riverside County officials confirmed six cases of coronavirus in the county, telling Rolling Stone, “The Riverside County Public Health Department has declared a public health emergency for the Coachella Valley after a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) locally. As a result, the 2020 BNP Paribas Open will not take place at this time due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the safety of the participants and attendees at the event. This is following the guidance of medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and State of California.”
Apparently, these concerns have now reached the iconic music festival, which brings in 46% more travelers by air than SXSW and 89% more than Ultra Music Festival. Because a large portion of the area’s full-time residents are senior citizens, the area is considered to be particularly at-risk for deaths related to the virus.
Attempts to reach out to Goldenvoice were not immediately returned.
This story is being updated.
