This year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival was postponed to the fall amid coronavirus concerns, but now, as the virus remains prevalent, organizers may need to push back the massive festival once again.
Originally, Coachella would have commenced at Indio’s Empire Golf Club from April 10 to 13 and run for a second weekend from April 17 to 19. However, when news first broke of the global coronavirus pandemic, organizers made the huge decision to postpone this year’s event to October. Postponing to the fall seemed like a good idea at the time, but with 100,000 people now dead in the U.S. – which is nearly half of Coachella’s usual turnout – organizers are second-guessing their decision.
According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation said that organizers are asking artists to play at a 2021 edition of the festival instead – the first sign that this year’s show may be cancelled after all. This year’s event is set to feature headlining performances from Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean, as well as sets from some of the biggest acts in music including Megan Thee Stallion, Disclosure, Calvin Harris, and Lana Del Rey. The sources said that some of the acts have already consented to playing next year, though not every performer has been asked to play at a 2021 edition.
Cancelling this year’s event would be huge — Coachella is the largest music festival in the U.S., bringing in as much as $100 million in sales. Promoter Goldenvoice, as well as its parent AEG, have not revealed any more news regarding the festival – along with its sister event Stagecoach – since its postponement in March, though its financial impact in Indio has been felt; businesses in the area rely on Coachella to help bring in $700 million, but this year, everything went quiet.
While the cancellation would certainly cause a financial and emotional blow to the community, it wouldn’t be surprising. Coronavirus has caused widespread cancellations across the live event industry this year, spearheading an estimated $9 billion loss in revenue.
See our full, updating list of festivals cancelled or postponed due to the virus here.