Coachella, Stagecoach music festivals move to October amid coronavirus concerns – USA TODAY

Two high-profile music festivals are moving out of April.

Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles-based company that produces the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its country music counterpart Stagecoach over three weekends in April, has postponed both festivals due to growing public health concerns about the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

Coachella is being rescheduled for Oct. 9-11 and 16-18. Stagecoach will take place Oct. 23-25. The decision to delay the events comes after the cancellation of the nearby BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California and the declaration of a public health emergency in the Coachella Valley’s Riverside County by the top public health officer on Sunday, March 8.

“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 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 Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser ordered the cancellation of both April festivals, citing “concerns about the possible health risks because of the ongoing move coronavirus,” according to an email from spokeswoman Brooke Frederico.

“This decision was not taken lightly or without consideration of many factors,” Kaiser said in a prepared statement. “No doubt it will impact many people, but my top priority is to protect the health of the entire community.”

Kaiser said the decision to cancel was “made to prevent the spread of the illness that has sickened hundreds of thousands worldwide and killed thousands.”

A total of six Riverside County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, as of Monday afternoon. Two people are being treated outside of the county, two are being treated at hospitals in the Coachella Valley, and two are quarantined at home in the Coachella Valley. 

Several other conferences and large-scale events, including Ultra Music Festival in Miami and South by Southwest music, film and technology conference in Austin, have been canceled.

Coachella was slated to be held over two weekends – April 10-12 and April 17-19. Stagecoach dates were April 24-26. 

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Travis Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine were to headline Coachella. The Stagecoach lineup included Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, ​​Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, ZZ Top and Alan Jackson. Goldenvoice did not address changes to the lineup in its email. 

Goldenvoice had already released this year’s set times for Stagecoach.

Can I get a refund?

Organizers said ticketholders will be notified by Friday, March 15, on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend the later dates. All purchases for the April dates will be honored in October, according to Goldenvoice.

Coachella returns to October roots

Goldenvoice is no stranger to hosting festivals at the Empire Polo Club in October. The company has a contract for five festivals per year with the city of Indio. It staged Desert Trip and Phish Fest in October, which is an important month because of weather — plus, it doesn’t conflict with polo season, which runs from January through March.

Additionally, Coachella’s inaugural event took place Oct. 9-10, 1999, and featured Rage Against the Machine as a headliner. 

October is generally a slightly hotter month in the Coachella Valley than April. In April, the average high is 87 degrees and average low is 60, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In October, the average high is 92 and average low is 63. 

Music festivals spur economic impact

The music festivals have brought tens of thousands of people to the California desert each spring, filling hotels and boosting the local economy. Combined, those events are believed to generate at least $400 million in local economic impact.

In 2019, the city of Indio received about $3 million from the festival, around two-thirds of which was from ticket surcharges and another $1 million from associated sales tax revenues and transient occupancy taxes from campers.

The 2017 Coachella festival drew about 250,000 visitors to both weekends, plus another 75,000 people for the following week’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival. The combined 2017 regional economic impact exceeded $403 million, according to the 2017 report from the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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