Coachella Is Reportedly Being Rescheduled for 2022
Written by SOURCE on March 18, 2021
It looks like one of the U.S.’s bigger music festivals is seeing another delay.
Variety reports that the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been pushed back once again, from October 2021 to April 2022, according to industry sources. This could potentially be the fourth time the festival has been postponed, after April 2020 dates were rescheduled for October 2020, then shifted to April 2021, and finally October 2021, the latter having not been substantiated by Coachella promoter Goldenvoice.
The company also hasn’t confirmed the April 2022 move yet, and the festival’s website doesn’t reflect any new dates. It was reported in January that the tentative April 2021 dates were canceled.
Complex has reached out to a rep for Goldenvoice for comment on the report.
Coachella draws a huge crowd, typically quickly selling out its 125,000 tickets per day, which could prove to be a superspreader event if not handled correctly. It’s also anticipated that Stagecoach, which occurs the week after Coachella’s two-weekend stint, will also be delayed. Still, some promoters and live-entertainment companies are gearing up for a limited return to touring in the late summer and fall, with the Weeknd’s After Hours Tour next January marking one of the first major circuits to be announced.
Other states that have fewer COVID-19 restrictions are moving forward with their festivals in the fall, including Texas and Florida. “There’s a big difference between having two weekends of Coachella in California and throwing a country festival in Florida,” an insider told Variety.
Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino is optimistic about the return of outdoor and smaller shows in the U.S., particularly after the UK will allow large music events to return to 100 percent capacity starting June 21. This prompted Live Nation to make tickets available for Reading & Leeds festival and Creamfields, both in August, all of which sold out immediately. Rapino said in February that he believes U.S. festivals “can start in midsummer and in the southern U.S. we can go all the way into November.” The UK’s largest festival, Glastonbury, has already canceled its 2021 date.
The live entertainment industry took a huge hit last year, with the pandemic costing it over $30 billion.
