Coachella and Stagecoach 2020 canceled after health officials fear coronavirus will ‘worsen in the fall’
COACHELLA and Stagecoach 2020 have both been canceled for the year as health officials fear coronavirus will “worsen in the Fall.”
The famous Southern California music festivals typically take every April but in March, they were due to the pandemic.
Riverside County officials announced on Wednesday that the Palm Desert three-day events - both a product of parent company Goldenvoice - will not happen in 2020.
The county's public health officer, Cameron Kaiser, signed an order to cancel the concerts out of concern that there will be a spike in cases.
"I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall.
“In addition, events like and Stagecoach would fall under Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter,” he said in a .
In California, events such as concerts cannot occur until Phase 4 - which would mark the end of the state's stay-at-home order.
Cameron continued: “Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward.
“These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted.
“My first priority is the health of the community,” the health expert concluded.
Coachella was on April 10, but was then moved to take place on October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 18.
Rock band Rage Against the Machine, rapper and singer all got top billing to headline the party in the desert.
, , Lil Nas X, 21 Savage and dozens of others are also set to take the stage during the back-to-back weekends.
Crowds from the massive gathering have previously topped more than 100,000 which include dozens of A-list celebrities every year such as , , and more.
The outdoor festival is standing room only and all attendees outside of the VIP section are crowded close together for the best view of the stage.
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It was also announced in March that the three-day country festival, Stagecoach, would be postponed until October 23.
Country stars Thomas Rhett, Eric Church and Carrie Underwood were scheduled to headline Stagecoach this year.
Concert promoter Goldenvoice initially said of the schedule change: "Purchasers will be notified by Friday, March 13 on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend."
However, the company has not yet commented about how ticket-goers who to 2020 can proceed now that the events are scrapped completely.