2021 hangs in uncertainty when it comes to the future of festivals. Most festivals already pushed back their 2020 events to next year, in the hope that this pandemic will be past us and allow us to safely party again. The reality of the matter is, unfortunately, that it might not be possible.
Rolling Stone has reported that one of the bigs ones, Coachella, is already looking to reschedule its spring dates again. The festival takes place over two weekends in Indio, California, and attracts around 100,000 people from all over the world. Coachella always takes place in April with Stagecoach being at the end of the month as well and had done a postponement to October before moving to 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. According to a person who works at a major talent agency that represents popular festival performers, Coachella is “100%” moving again. They told Rolling Stone that the festival was supposed to announce it over Labor Day weekend and then at the end of September, but it has not happened yet. The source says they have heard from Goldenvoice CEO and Coachella founder Paul Tollett’s office that the new date will either be in the first or second week of October 2021, “but they are holding the first three weeks to be safe” as not all artists have confirmed availability.
October is the weekend when other big festivals – such as Austin City Limits – occurs, and also when festivals that take place in the spring and summer might have to push to as well. If something to the scale of Coachella does not come back until 2022 (two years without Coachella is such a scary thought though!) those in the industry would not be surprised.
The city manager of Indio, Mark Scott, says his team is working on a budget option for a date postponement. His team has yet to hear anything concrete when it comes to the revised plans. Reps from Goldenvoice, the company that puts on Coachella, AEG, their parent company, and Riverside County, where Indio is located, have not commented yet about the possible postponement.
We just hope we’ll all soon be back dancing with thousands of beautiful
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