UPDATE: Put away the flower crowns. Despite an initial October rescheduling, both the Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals will not take place this year.
Due to concerns of a “possible autumn resurgence” of COVID-19, Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser signed an order on Wednesday cancelling both events.
“These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community,” Kaiser said in a press release.
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The 2020 Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals have officially been rescheduled over ongoing fears surrounding the coronavirus.
Event organizer Goldenvoice announced the news in a statement on Tuesday.
“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,” it read. “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, which takes place every April in the desert of Indio, Calif., will now take place on Oct. 9, 10 and 11 and Oct. 16, 17 and 18, 2020. Country music gathering Stagecoach will take place the next weekend on Oct. 23, 24 and 25, 2020.
The statement concluded, “All purchased 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.”
It’s currently unclear how the new dates will impact the lineup, which featured more than 150 artists and headliners Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine.
Matt Cowan/Getty Images for Coachella
On March 8, a local public health emergency was declared in Riverside County, the Southern California region where Coachella Valley and Indio is located. A spokesperson for the city of Indio said leaders would be “supportive” of a postponement.
More than 250,000 people were expected to attend the April events. Coachella was last cancelled in 2000 due to financial issues.
(This story was originally published on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 4:17 p.m. PST)
For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov.
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