Billboard: Coachella & Stagecoach may be moved to October
UPDATE - 06/10/20
Riverside County announced that both Coachella and Stagecoach have been canceled for 2021.
Details: Riverside County cancels Coachella & Stagecoach music festivals for 2020
Original Report - 06/09/20
With concerns over the coronavirus outbreak around the world and in the desert, the Coachella Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival could possibly be moved to October, according to a number of publications including Billboard, Variety, and the Hollywood Reporter.
Instead of April, Coachella would be held on the weekends of October 9 and 16. Stagecoach would be moved to October 23.
Billboard reports that the move is not a done deal yet, organizers should know in about 48 hours.
The city of Indio sent a statement to News Channel 3 confirming Coachella's parent company Goldenvoice reached out to the city to evaluate their options, however, it is all up to Goldenvoice.
"Goldenvoice has reached out to the City in the process of evaluating their options for the upcoming music festivals. Moving the festivals to October is one of those options, and the city would be supportive of that, however, the situation is fluid. Any announcement about the festivals would likely come from the festival promoters themselves," - Brooke Beare, director of communications & marketing for the city of Indio.
Check out our Coronavirus section for more local coverage
No word on if the line-ups would have to change, according to Billboard, Goldenvoice is working to with the artists on the change. Coachella is currently scheduled to be headlined by Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine, and Travis Scott. Stagecoach's headliners are Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church.
This wouldn't be the first time the Empire Polo Grounds hosted a music festival in October. Back in 2016, Goldenvoice organized Desert Trip, a fall festival with some of music's greatest legends.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.
Other events around the Coachella Valley have been canceled, like the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, after officials declared a local public health emergency in the area.
As of Monday, there are four patients who have tested positive for coronavirus. Public health investigators have not been able to determine how one the individuals got infected, according to Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. Due to that, it is now considered a case of “community spread," meaning the virus was not contracted through relevant travel history or contact to a known case and suggests that the virus is present in the community.
More on cases in the Coachella Valley
Kaiser said investigators believe the three infections were either the result of travel into areas where COVID-19 has been confirmed or contact with a known case.
To minimize the continued spread of the virus within the community, Eisenhower Health recommends anyone experiencing coronavirus symptoms to call Eisenhower’s coronavirus hotline at 760-837-8988 (or 760-TEST988) before going to any facility.
According to the CDC, symptoms include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.
