Iconic Coachella Music Festival In Indio Canceled For 3rd Time Because Of COVID

San Diego CA

30 January, 2021

5:27 PM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego January 30, 2021 The Coachella music festival due to be held in Indio in April was canceled by local health officials because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was the third time the outdoor event, one of the largest music festivals in the world, had been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic. "The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival currently scheduled for April 2021 are hereby cancelled," stated an order on Friday from Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. It said the decision was made to reduce the likelihood of exposure to the virus. Coachella brings half a million fans to an open-air site in the California desert. Its April 2020 event was initially rescheduled for October 2020, and then again to April 2021. Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean were set to headline Coachella originally, while Lil Nas X, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson and ZZ Top were scheduled to headline Stagecoach. Festival organizers did not immediately return a request for comment. The decision follows a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in southern California in the past two months. The Coachella Valley's economy lost upwards of $700 million due to the absence of both festivals, according to a previous report from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. All ticket purchases for the previous dates will be honored when the festivals are held, organizers said previously. Reuters and City News Service contributed to this article. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.