Coachella Postponed Until October 2020 Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Coachella will likely be postponed this year to two weekends in October due to coronavirus concerns, reports Variety. Multiple sources told the publication that Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals would be postponed despite an official statement from Goldenvoice, the festival’s organizer. Goldenvoice has been informing agents of music artists to determine whether talent would also be available in October. The festival was originally scheduled to take place on the weekends of April 10 and 17, 2020.

Coachella also fields one of the most impression collections of chefs and restaurants, a credit to a growing curation from Goldenvoice and a significant part of the experience for many attendees. Postponement would mean the festival would have to rebook all of the food, which this year included such chefs as Roy Choi (Best Friend, Kogi), Jon Yao (Kato), Cat Cora, Lincoln Carson (Bon Temps), and Sabel Braganza (E.P. & L.P.).

At the moment, the festival had only officially announced chefs for the more exclusive Outstanding in the Field portion of the festival, and not the majority of the food lineup, which typically includes more well-known casual restaurants. In recent years, restaurants like Fuku, Konbi, Madre, and Tacos 1986 were notable participants.

Coachella and Stagecoach’s postponements would be the most recent major events to see either a cancellation or rescheduling due to novel coronavirus in recent weeks, as Miami’s Ultra festival, Austin’s South by Southwest, and Miami’s Winter Music Conference were all cancelled. Though those other festivals were straight up cancelled, Variety writes that Coachella and Stagecoach could avoid having to employ cancellation insurance that may not have covered communicable diseases such as novel coronavirus. Coachella gathers upwards of 125,000 per day, over six total days in two consecutive weekends.

• Coachella, Stagecoach Festivals Likely Moved to October [Variety]