The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the concert and festival business. Following intense speculation, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has now been officially postponed, along with its sister country music event, Stagecoach.
Coachella, which was set to take place in Indio, California, on the weekends of April 10th and April 17th, will now be held on the weekends of October 9th and October 16th. There's no word yet on whether the lineup, which was supposed to include a headlining performance from Rage Against The Machine, will remain intact.
California has confirmed over 167 coronavirus cases and two deaths as of Tuesday (March 10th). Riverside County, which includes the small town of Indio where Coachella takes place, has declared a public health emergency and announced a total of six cases of COVID-19 at press time.
All Coachella tickets will be honored on the new dates, and ticket holders unable to attend in the fall will be given information on how to obtain a refund.
Meanwhile, following the cancellation of the South By Southwest and Ultra Music festivals in Austin and Miami respectively, both events have notified attendees that they will not be offering refunds to those who have already purchased badges.
In an email sent out last week, SxSW organizers said, “2020 registrants can opt to defer their registration to 2021, 2022, or 2023,” with details to come in the following days. The email added, “You don’t need to take immediate action regarding your 2020 registration. It will remain in our system for future opportunities that will be available to you.” No mention was made of refunds. Ultra Music sent out a similar notice, saying that all tickets would be honored at “either the 2021 or 2022 Ultra Miami event, at your option.”
In other news, Guns N' Roses have canceled a March 18th concert in San Jose, Costa Rica due to concerns about the virus. Nine people in Costa Rica are confirmed to have the virus, with another 34 suspected of possibly being infected.
In addition, this Saturday's (March 14th) Planned Parenthood benefit at Manhattan's Town Hall, featuring a partial Hole reunion of Courtney Love & Melissa Auf der Maur, has been postponed “in light of current public health concerns.” Tickets will be honored once the event is rescheduled, and refunds are also available.
Other acts who have canceled tours here and abroad include Pearl Jam, Green Day and Slipknot, while speculation continues at press time that California's Coachella Festival could be moved or postponed.
