As concerns over the coronavirus permeate throughout the concert industry, Coachella organizers are considering a plan to push back the California music festival to the fall.
Goldenvoice, the production company behind Coachella, is examining the possibility of moving the 2020 festival from April to October, Consequence of Sound has learned.
As recently as Saturday, Coachella city officials told Consequence of Sound that they had not advised Goldenvoice to cancel or postpone the event. However, less than a day later, a local public health emergency was declared for the Coachella Valley following the diagnosis of the first case of locally acquired coronavirus. Since then, three more individuals have tested positive for the virus.
Over the last 24 hours, Goldenvoice has reached out to city officials and talent buyers to explore the feasibility of pushing back Coachella to the fall. Under the current scenario, Coachella would take place the weekends of October 9th and 16th, with its sister festival, Stagecoach, then occurring on the weekend of October 23rd.
Billboard, which was the first to report news of Coachella’s possible postponement, says a final decision could be made within the next 48 hours. Goldenvoice also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of canceling Coachella altogether.
It’s unclear how many of the acts initially booked to play Coachella in April would appear at the rescheduled October staging. It’s worth noting that Austin City Limits takes place during the first two weekends of October and will likely feature several of the same artists scheduled to play Coachella.
The currently announced Coachella lineup features Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean, and Travis Scott, in addition to Lana Del Rey, Thom Yorke, FKA twigs, Danny Elfman, Lil Uzi Vert, and Run the Jewels.
Coachella is the latest high-profile American cultural event to be impacted by the coronavirus. Already, both Miami’s Ultra Music Festival and Austin’s SXSW have canceled their 2020 stagings. Meanwhile, the release of the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, has been delayed until November, and acts including Green Day, BTS, and Slipknot have scrapped planned Asian tours.
Coachella Likely Pushed Back to Fall Due to Coronavirus
Alex Young
