After weeks of speculation, this year’s highly-anticipated Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals have been officially called-off by county officials due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally, both fests were slated to take over Indio, California in April, but when news of the pandemic first broke, they were rescheduled to October. However, as the virus remains rampant across the country, Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said the festivals will not take place until next year at the earliest, Variety reports.
“The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival are hereby cancelled for the calendar year 2020…as a result of the worldwide epidemic of COVID-19 disease,” the order from Riverside County reads.
In the country, more than 9,500 people have contracted the virus, resulting in 365 deaths. Kaiser said in a statement that he is concerned COVID-19 could worsen by the fall.
“In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under [California] Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter,” Kaiser said. “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.”
This year’s Coachella would have featured headlining performances from Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean, as well as sets from Disclosure, Lana Del Rey, and Calvin Harris. Stagecoach, country music’s largest fest, was set to feature Thomas Rhett, Eric Church, and Carrie Underwood.
At this point, sources told Variety that promoter Goldenvoice is still considering whether or not to hold the festivals in April 2021 with a limited audience or a full crowd in October 2021. Coachella is the largest festival in the U.S., selling out with 125,000 tickets per day. The celebration brings in between $75 million and $100 million each year.
This is the latest large-scale event to be called-off this year out of safety concerns. See our full, updating list of festivals postponed or cancelled amid coronavirus here.
