Two of the country’s largest music festivals have been rescheduled due to coronavirus concerns. Both events are held in Indio, California, every April. But, event coordinators have moved both festivals to October amid fears of a widespread coronavirus outbreak.
Coachella has been rescheduled for October 9-11 and 16-18. Stagecoach will take place October 23-25. The decision was announced following the declaration of a public health emergency by a top public health officer.
“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,” Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles-based company that produces the festivals, said in an email Tuesday. “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.”
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Riverside County, California, Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser ordered that both festivals be canceled saying that the “decision was not taken lightly or without considerations of many factors.” He added that his “top priority is to protect the health of the entire community.”
The music festivals generate hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. Coachella, a multi-genre festival that held its inaugural concert in 1999, is attended by roughly 250,000 concert-goers each year. Stagecoach, a country music-only event that got its start in 2007, hosted its largest crowd in 2018 with 75,000 in attendance.
All ticket purchases for the April dates will be honored for the new October dates. Those unable to attend in October will receive full refunds, according to Goldenvoice. Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, Alan Jackson and many more where scheduled to perform in April. It is unclear whether or not the lineup will change for the October dates.