Coachella and Stagecoach festivals postponed until October due to coronavirus

Add the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to the growing list of cultural events being canceled or postponed due to coronavirus concerns. 

“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,” the festival said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainly, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously.” 

Coachella said the festival, originally scheduled for April 10-19, has been rescheduled for two weekends in October — Oct. 9-11 and 16-18. The lineup features acts including Frank Ocean, Lewis Capaldi, Megan Thee Stallion, Carley Rae Jepson, 21 Savage and Travis Scott. 

Now playing:
Watch this:

Coronavirus and COVID-19: Everything you need to know

5:50

Purchases for the original dates will be honored, the festival said, and refunds given to those who can’t attend in the fall. The corresponding Stagecoach festival, meanwhile, will take place on Oct. 23, 24 and 25. 

Coachella takes place annually in the Southern California desert, drawing crowds of around 250,000 over two weekends.  

Other high-profile gatherings canceled due to COVID-19 fears include South by Southwest, Google I/O , Facebook’s F8 developer conference, Mobile World Congress, RuPaul’s DragCon LA and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. The verdict is still out on other big events, including the Tokyo Olympics.