Coachella reportedly not returning in October 2020
Coachella, which was originally postponed from its usual April dates to October due to the coronavirus pandemic, reportedly will not go ahead in 2020 at all.
The iconic Indio, California festival announced in March it would be pushed back from its usual April dates to October. But as Billboard reported on June 9, the 2020 event has been ruled out as its parent company AEG lays off and furloughs staff.
Per Billboard, AEG (the Anschutz Entertainment Group) has begun laying off 15 per cent of its staff, furloughing 100 employees and implementing pay cuts of up to 50 per cent. In an email to staff, seen by Billboard, CEO Dan Beckerman said the move will affect staff across the world.
“It is an agonising decision, but sadly, a necessary one,” Beckerman said. “The world is slowly re-opening, and our industry will re-open later and more slowly than most.”
This year’s Coachella lineup was to be headlined by Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean.
Event organisers Goldenvoice are reportedly deciding between running a smaller Coachella event in 2021 in the hopes restrictions have eased, and throwing a full festival in October next year. Two-fifths of ticketholders have requested refunds to this year’s festival.
“It is clear now that live events with fans will not resume for many months and likely not until sometime in 2021,” Beckerman said.
The news comes as Lollapalooza announced it will also not proceed in 2020, instead opting for a livestream from July 30 to August 2 that will feature live performances and archival footage. No lineup was ever announced for the 2020 festival.
Coachella premiered a YouTube Originals documentary on the festival’s 20-year history on April 10 – the day the 2020 festival was due to begin. “While it may do little to soothe the pain of those who were meant to be there this month, for the rest of us, it serves as a timely portrait of the pure magic of music festivals,” NME wrote in its five-star review of the documentary.
