Coachella Cancelled: Health Officials Axe Festival Over Coronavirus Concerns After Postponing To October

Amid growing concerns over the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, the organizers of Coachella just announced that this year’s festival is moving from April to October. That’s right – Coachella will be in the fall!

UPDATE (6/10/20 9:36pm ET): Coachella is officially cancelled for 2020. “I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall,” said Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaisersaid in a statement to TMZ. “In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter. Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward. These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community,” the statement also read.

UPDATE (6/9/20 1:55am ET): The rescheduled Coachella Festival 2020 in October has reportedly been cancelled. Billboard reports that the festival’s promoter Goldenvoice’s parent company AEG as pulled the plug on the festival happening this year, and is eyeing a limited-capacity return in April 2021.

With festivals, tours, and events being canceled left and right out of fear of COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus), it seemed inevitable that Coachella would get the ax. Despite initial reassurances from the organizers that the show would go on, the announcement was made on Monday, Mar. 9 that the event is moving. This year’s Coachella Valle Music and Arts Festival – featuring Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean as headlines — will not take place on April 10-12 and 17-19, as planned, but rather, be re-scheduled to the weekends of Oct. 10 and Oct. 16.

Goldenvoice, the company that runs Coachella, provided the following statement to HollywoodLife: “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.”

This is a massive blow to the Spring festival season — and to music lovers — who are going to have to wait a little longer for the epic event. In addition to the three headliners, this year’s festival features BROCKHAMPTON, Calvin Harris, Run The Jewels, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, DaBaby, BADBADNOTGOOD, Lil Uzi Very, Lana Del Rey, FKA twigs, Ari Lennox, Lil Nas X, Fatboy Slim, Roddy Ricch, Caribou, Carly Rae Jepsen, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Kim Petras, Carli XCX, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Big Sean, beabadobee, YUNGBLUD, Viagra Boys, the holographic Hatsune Miku, PUP and many more acts. The festival truly offers something for every music lover, and the good news is all of the major acts are still slated to appear for the new dates.

At first, it seemed that Coachella was going to go on without a hitch, despite the growing fears over spreading Coronavirus at large gatherings. “Residents and travelers to our region should know that the situation is safe,” Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez told reporters on March 5, per LA Mag. “It is still over five weeks before visitors will make their way to Indio to attend a series of concerts here,” read a statement issued by the municipality where Coachella and Stagecoach take place. “The City of Indio is actively monitoring input from local, state, and national health officials to assess the health risks of COVID-19 and update those risks to stakeholders.”

“We’re in this gray area right now where events are getting canceled preemptively — before we know how widespread the problem is,” Aaron Goldstein, a Seattle-based partner at the global law firm Dorsey & Whitney, told Rolling Stone in March. “[T] here’s also a phenomenon with decision-makers where no one wants to be the one person who underestimated the risk. No one wants to be the person blamed for spreading Coronavirus to thousands.”

Before Coachella decided to move this year’s festivities, the Ultra Music Festival canceled this year’s event. “It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that the City of Miami has issued an official directive requiring that the 22nd edition of Ultra Music Festival, originally scheduled for March 20, 21, and 22, 2020, will be postponed to March 26, 27, and 28, 2021. Due to the Florida Governor’s declaration of a public health emergency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Interim Guidance for COVID-19, it is impossible for the City to provide access to Bayfront Park at this time. We completely understand how extremely frustrating this is because so many of you are looking forward to coming to Ultra, having already made travel arrangements. This is, however, and unprecedented issue which is not being taken lightly, and we must continue to defer to the authorities for guidance.”