Coachella has been delayed thanks to Coronavirus—so if you fear a faint, mournful rustle in the air, that’s probably just the sound of a thousand flower crowns being hung up at once.
Goldenvoice, which organizes the festival, confirmed the news late Tuesday in a statement noting that the decision was made at the request of local health authorities.
“While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously,” Goldenvoice said.
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The promoter reached out to agents for multiple acts to confirm that the festival, originally scheduled for early April, will now occur on the weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16. The country music gathering Stagecoach has also postponed from April to October, according to TMZ.
This year’s Coachella line-up included headliners Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean, and Travis Scott. But on March 4, the Miami-based Ultra music festival canceled—and one day later, Austin’s South by Southwest did the same. (SXSW has now laid off one-third of its staff, calling it “the only way to stop the bleeding.”) As cases proliferated in various states, petitions calling both for and against Coachella’s cancellation had proliferated online.
On March 8, Riverside County, where Coachella takes place, confirmed its first case of COVID-19, declaring a public health emergency. Meanwhile, other musical acts have been figuring out how to deal with the growing outbreak. Justin Bieber’s stadium tour dates are now being moved to arenas to contend with reduced ticket sales, while Pearl Jam has postponed their spring tour dates. Several acts have canceled tours and dates altogether.
