The organisers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its sister event, Stagecoach Festival, have rescheduled the events to take place in October due to coronavirus concerns.
Both originally scheduled for April, Coachella will now take place over two weekends in October (9th-11th and 16th-18th) while Stagecoach will run from 23rd-25th October.
Organiser, Goldenvoice, stated it has been in communication with local health authorities which prompted its decision to postpone.
The statement read: “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.”
It continued to explain that tickets purchased for the April dates will be honoured for the October event or will be refunded if fans are unable to attend the new dates.
The organisers said the Coachella was “too iconic to cancel entirely” and that brands are using the extra time to enhance their brand activations.
Originating in China, COVID-19 has been spreading across the globe since January. So far, it has affected 121,757 people, causing 4,389 deaths. Events such as Mobile World Congress and large Swiss events have cancelled or postponed to help mitigate the spread.
However, in the UK, the Department for Culture, Media and Sports announced there is “no rationale” to cancel mass gatherings.
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Author: Molly Hookings
Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com
