When will Coachella be held? Music festival rescheduled for 4th time amid Covid-19 pandemic
Avid concert-goers will have to scratch any hopes for attending Coachella this year as the popular music festival has been pushed back again. California's Coachella Music and Arts is not taking place in 2021 and has been postponed to 2022, according to two industry sources who spoke to Variety.
However, it is yet to be confirmed by Goldenvoice, the festival's promoter, or its parent company AEG. Both have declined Variety's requests for comments. Furthermore, it’s a high possibility that Stagecoach, the sister event of Coachella, will also be postponed. If the reschedule is confirmed, it’ll be the fourth time that Coachella has been postponed in 12 months.
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The reason
The reason for Coachella's postponement is not a surprising one: the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. According to the aforementioned sources, plans to reschedule the event are primarily due to the pandemic while there is also uncertainty about the safety of attendees of a large-scale event during such a time.
As of March 18, California has 3,535,534 confirmed coronavirus cases, resulting in 55,795 deaths. According to an article by The New York Times, Los Angeles County added many deaths from December and January after reviewing vital records. Looking at the publisher's graph of Covid-19 cases, December to January saw a significant spike in new cases, which is safe to presume that it is due to end-of-year festivities. Concerns about holding large-scale events are still valid, but it is understandably disappointing for Coachella fans.
Additionally, in January 2021, Riverside County public health officer Dr Cameron Kaiser signed a cancelation order, according to NME. At the time, he said, "This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to Covid-19, thereby slowing the spread of Covid-19 in communities worldwide."
"If Covid-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk."
Meanwhile, several other festivals scheduled for the fall are still set to take place. Many states have less strict Covid protocols than California, while music festivals such as Governers Ball in New York City are still promoting their events. "There’s a big difference between having two weekends of Coachella in California and throwing a country festival in Florida," one source noted.
Coachella initially postponed its original dates of April to October last year, citing reasons due to the growing Covid-19 pandemic as well. Later, it was announced that the 2020 event had been shut down completely and followers were given new dates for April 2021.