The 2020 Coachella music festival will be postponed until October as California combats a worsening coronavirus outbreak, according to unconfirmed reports from journalist Yashar Ali.
Taking to Twitter this afternoon, the New York Magazine and The Daily Beast contributor said the event will no longer overtake the Coachella Valley on the weekends commencing April 10 and April 17.
Instead, Ali says the festival will move to the weekends kicking off on October 9 and October 16, giving the community a good six months to assess the risk posed by the virus.
Artists like Rage Against The Machine, Frank Ocean, and Lana Del Rey are slated to perform at the festival.
Ali claims the lineup for the festival is slated to remain the same in October despite the postponement.
Festival organisers are yet to confirm any postponement or cancellation.
Scoop: A source familiar with the arrangements tells me that the Coachella festival will be postponed due to Coronavirus concerns and moved to the weekends of October 9 and 16.
As of now, the same lineup is confirmed to perform.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 10, 2020
Ali’s claims come just days after Austin, Texas-based festival South by Southwest was cancelled, with organisers citing fears for coronavirus transmission at the event.
Earlier, the Miami, Florida edition of the Ultra Music Festival was also culled over fears for the virus.
The Los Angeles Times reports Riverside County, which includes the Coachella Valley, has recorded six coronavirus cases. The county has also declared a public health emergency.
More broadly, CNN reports California has recorded 105 cases of the virus, including two deaths. More than 700 cases have been recorded across the United States.
More to come.
