Coachella will not go ahead in 2020, according to a note received by employees of the festival's parent company, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was scheduled to take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio California, over two weekends in April. After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March, organisers pushed the popular event back to October.
However, Billboard has obtained an internal note written by AEG Chief Executive Dan Beckerman confirming the 2020 instalment of Coachella will now be called off altogether. Referencing the cancellation of other large gatherings and festivals due to social distancing measures, Beckerman wrote: “It is clear now that live events with fans will not resume for many months and likely not until sometime in 2021".
According to Billboard, Coachella organisers Goldenvoice are "still trying to determine whether the two-weekend 125,000-person-per-day festival will make a limited-capacity return in April 2021 or a larger, higher capacity comeback in October 2021”.
Billboard's report also noted that 'about 40 per cent' of ticket buyers requested refunds for this year’s festival, and that while AEG officials think they could probably pull off the festival in April at 60 per cent capacity, the company was holding off on making a final rescheduling decision until more clarity emerges on the pandemic's trajectory.
Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine had been tapped to headline the event.
