Coachella will return in April 2022.
The world famous festival – which was meant to take place in April – and its sister festival Stagecoach were postponed this year, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, but the organisers have confirmed the the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will welcome back festival-goers in the desert at the Empire Polo Club in Indio across the weekends of April 15 to April 17 and April 22 and 23, 2022.
The 2020 event was due to see performances from the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Megan Thee Stallion, Run the Jewels, Calvin Harris, Travis Scott, Thom Yorke, 21 Savage, Fatboy Slim, Danny Elfman, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Lil Nas X, and FKA Twigs.
Riverside County Public Health confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 festival.
Public Health Officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, issued an order which read: “This Order recognises that both the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival are music concerts and gatherings of an international scope, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees from many countries, including several disproportionately afflicted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, thereby slowing the spread of COVID-19 in communities worldwide. If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk.”
He continued: “I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall. In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter. Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward. These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community.”