Coachella has been postponed due to coronavirus

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been postponed until October due to coronavirus, festival organizer Goldenvoice announced Tuesday evening. The popular festival’s first weekend will now take place on October 9th, 10th, and 11th and the second weekend will take place on October 16th, 17th, and 18th. Customers who already bought tickets will have those tickets honored for the new dates.

The country music festival Stagecoach, which takes place at the same venue as Coachella in Indio, California, is also being rescheduled to October. Stagecoach will now take place on the weekend of October 23rd. Both Stagecoach and Coachella were originally scheduled for April.

“At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns,” said Goldenvoice in a tweeted statement. “While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff, and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”

Coachella’s cancellation follows those of SXSW, Emerald City Comic Con, the New York Auto Show, and many big tech events. Canceling these large events is a form of “social distancing,” which may help people avoid coming into contact with others who might be sick.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on March 4th in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Almost 1,000 people in the U.S. have confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.