New dates for Coachella 2021 announced

California's premier desert music fest has been cancelled for 2020

LOS ANGELES: California's premier desert music fest Coachella, which had been postponed until October because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been cancelled for 2020, health officials announced Wednesday.

The festival, held annually in Indio, California, was initially set to take place over two weekends in April and was to be headlined by Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean.

It was moved to October as the deadly Covid-19 virus spread across the United States.

However, on Wednesday Riverside County, Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser decided to scrap the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

"I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall," said Kaiser. "In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under Governor (Gavin) Newsom's Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter.

"Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward."

Kaiser said he was aware that his decision would impact many people but stressed that his first priority was to protect the health of the community.

However, organisers of the music festival announced new dates for April 2021.

Coachella, one of the biggest music festivals in the world that brings half a million fans to an open-air site in the California desert, and its sister event Stagecoach for country music were rescheduled earlier this year from April until October.

“We have every intention of returning in 2021. As of now, Coachella weekend one will take place April 9 – 11, 2021 and weekend two will be April 16 – 18, 2021. Stagecoach is set for April 23 – 25, 2021,” organizers Goldenvoice said in a statement on Thursday.

It said details of the 2021 lineup would be announced at a later date and that tickets sold for 2020 would be honoured in 2021.

The 2020 lineup was to have included Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine, and Travis Scott.

The Coachella festival is one of the numerous high-profile events, including South by Southwest and Ultra Music Festival, that have been cancelled because of the pandemic.

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