Coachella has been officially cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to numerous reports, the festival’s organizers Goldenvoice are looking to hold a small scale event in April if possible, although the company is reportedly looking at hosting the full festival next October.
This festival is typically held every year during the middle of April, however the events were originally postponed until October of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s headliners were originally supposed to be pioneering alternative metal outfit Rage Against the Machine, alternative R&B performer Frank Ocean and hip hop artist Travis Scott.
Last month’s reports surfaced that the event’s organizers were contacting artists to perform at next year’s festival, although the cancellation was not yet confirmed. Goldenvoice announced that they were indefinitely suspending all tours back in March, which included the postponement of other prominent festivals such as Cruel World and Lovers & Friends, which were both cancelled.
Goldenvoice’s parent company the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has been forced to enact several layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s president Jay Marciano revealed that these measures will be put in place on July 1.
“We did not come to today’s decisions lightly. During the last few months we kept our company intact to ensure that those of you who would be the most affected would have the best safety net we could provide,” Marciano wrote in the memo. “While it’s small solace, I see this as a testament to the culture that exists at AEG and the important role you have played in building this environment.”
(UPDATE 6/10 7:00 pm PST): Local officials in Indio, California, where the event is held, have also officially cancelled the music festival. Its sister festival, Stagecoach, has also been cancelled by officials.