California's Coachella and Stagecoach festivals have officially been postponed as state officials take drastic measures to contain the coronavirus.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which was scheduled to take place over two weekends next month (Apr20), will now hit the Empire Polo Club in Indio in October and country music event Stagecoach will be staged at the same location a week later.
"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," a statement from promoters at Goldenvoice reads. "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 will now take place on Oct. 9, 10 and 11 and Oct. 16, 17 and 18, 2020. Stagecoach will take place on Oct. 23, 24 and 25, 2020. All purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates... Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the desert this fall."
The promoters of the festivals remain hopeful Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine will still be on board to lead the Coachella line-up in October, while the Stagecoach event still lists Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Eric Church as headliners.
The news comes a week after the organisers of the SXSW Festival in Texas were forced to cancel this year's event due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. The Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida has also been postponed, while Pearl Jam and the Zac Brown Band have scrapped upcoming North American tours.
California currently has 157 cases of COVID-19, aka coronavirus, and two people have died. The global tally has passed 113,000 cases, with over 4,000 deaths. As of Tuesday (10Mar20), the U.S. has reported over 700 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths.
