Coachella Is Officially Postponed

We all saw this one coming, but now it’s official: Coachella is not happening next month.

Organizers announced on Tuesday evening that the music festival, which was supposed to happen on two consecutive weekends in April, will instead take place during two weekends in October. The culprit behind the move is, of course, COVID-19, which seems to thrive in huge crowds and would probably have a field day at a 50,000-person-per-day festival.

Stagecoach has also been moved to October. Organizers say ticket holders can find out about refunds on Friday, though certainly the festival’s rescheduling will affect a whole chain of Coachella-related bookings, like Airbnbs and flights.

It’ll also probably come at a big cost to smaller bands who needed the visibility boost, in addition to setup crews, vendors, etc. who rely on Coachella money. It’s not clear whether headliners like Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, and Rage Against the Machine will still perform, though the New York Times says organizers will do what they can to preserve the lineup.

On the other hand, moving Coachella will probably help mitigate what will probably be an overburdening health crisis. Fun times we live in!