The music festival will return next year.
After initially being postponed until October, the 2020 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has officially been canceled. Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser decided to cancel Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festival amid concerns that COVID-19 could get worse in the fall.
“Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward,” Kaiser said in a statement on Wednesday (June 10). “These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the heat of the community.”
Officials in Riverside County consulted with Goldenvoice, the company behind the annual festivals, before making a final decision. Coachella and its country music counterpart, Stagecoach, are both expected to return to Indio, Calif. next year but with updated health precautions in place.
Coachella and Stagecoach aren’t the only major music festivals to get canceled this year. The 2020 Lollapalooza festival was also axed because of the pandemic. “We wish we could bring Lollapalooza to [Chicago’s] Grant Park again this year, but we understand why things can’t move forward as planned,” reads a message on the festival website. “The health and safety of our fans, artists, partners, staff and community is our highest priority.”
