Coronavirus outbreak causes delay of Coachella Music Festival 2020 to October, confirm organisers

Music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have officially been postponed in the wake of concerns over the coronavirus epidemic. In a statement, organisers Goldenvoice released a statement on 10 March, saying both the galas will be rescheduled for October.

“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,” Goldenvoice said in a statement to Variety.

Here is the cancellation announcement shared via social media

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— Coachella (@coachella) March 10, 2020

Coachella, which was supposed to be held in two weekend installments, 10 to 12 April and 17 to 19 April, will now take place six months later on 9, 10 and 11 October, and 16, 17 and 18 October.

The line up for the festival, released in January, included names like Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against the Machine. Other high-profile acts announced were Flume, Megan Thee Stallion, Calvin Harris, Thom Yorke, DaBaby, Lana Del Rey, FKA Twigs, Daniel Caesar, and more.

While country music festival Stagecoach will take place on 23, 24 and 25 October. It was earlier planned to begin from24 April.

All purchases for the April dates will be honoured for the rescheduled October dates. Purchasers will be notified by 13 March on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend.

Coronavirus scare has already led to the cancellation of South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival for its 2020 edition. Miami’’s EDM-based Ultra Music Festival was also called off and so was Winter Music Conference.

Pop diva Madonna was also forced to cancel her two shows in France amid the outbreak.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)