Sophia Michaels
Up until a few days ago, future Coachella attendees weren’t worried about coronavirus impacting the music festival. Now, with the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Riverside County, Cali., there’s a chance the festival could be canceled. Here’s what people are saying online — and what officials have to say about the impending festival.
One source claims that Coachella 2020 might be postponed to October
Along with other highly populated states like New York, California recently declared a “state of emergency,” resulting from the surge of coronavirus cases. (As of March 10, there are 14 confirmed cases of the virus in the Los Angeles area.)
Riverside County, which holds the city of Coachella, recently declared a “public health emergency,” according to the Los Angeles Times. As a result, some officials commented on the future of the year’s highly anticipated music festival, Coachella.
“Residents and travelers to our region should know that the situation is safe,” Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said at a press briefing Thursday morning. “Knowing that the Coachella Valley is a resort destination for the world, the situation could be very fluid.”
Due to the large crowds, and attendees coming from different parts of the world, other music festivals scheduled for 2020 have since postponed or canceled their events. That includes Ultra Music Festival Miami and SXSW.
Coachella first announced their 2020 lineup a few months prior
One source reported that the festival could be postponed until October, although the Festival’s social media accounts have yet to respond. Because Coachella is considered one of the biggest music festivals in the world, some are wondering whether there will be an announcement in the coming weeks.
“They still have a little more time before pulling the cancellation trigger, but unless the situation improves soon, the momentum might be too much for Goldenvoice to stop,” says one source, according to Billboard. “If this is going to work out, things need to start going right very soon.”
With the lineup including other artists like Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey, Flume, Megan Thee Stallion, and FKA Twigs, some fans purchased their tickets months in advance, the first weekend selling out in a matter of days. The headliners for this year’s Coachella include Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean.
Future attendees shared their concern over Coronavirus and Coachella
Once news broke of Ultra Music Festival Miami’s cancelation, and the cast of coronavirus near the Coachella festival site, some attendees took to social media. While some urged the festival to postpone or cancel, others wanted it to remain for spring 2020.
“Hi, Coachella resident here. I personally don’t want to be exposed to coronavirus so it’s not being soft, it’s being safe xoxo,” one Twitter user wrote.
“If Coachella gets canceled the year I finally can go and am happy with the line up because of the coronavirus I will personally end coronavirus myself,” another Twitter user joked. Presumably, another announcement regarding the coronavirus outbreak and Coachella will come soon.
More information about Coachella can be found on their website.
Written by: CheatSheet
