Much to the dismay of US-based festivalgoers, it appears that Coachella may have been pushed back yet again.
According to Variety, two industry insiders confirmed to the publication that the festival will be moved from October 2021 to April 2022.
While the news has yet to be verified by representatives for the festival, Variety stated the sources had “knowledge of the situation”.
If the move does indeed go ahead, it will mark the fourth time the dates for the latest festival have been changed.
Originally slated for April 2020, COVID-19 restrictions forced Coachella to be pushed back to October 2020. From there, it was rescheduled to April 2021, and then again to October 2021.
For what it’s worth, the October dates were never officially confirmed by promoters and there have been no updates posted on the Coachella website for months.
The sources told Variety that the reported postponement is the result of the difficulty of hosting up to 100,000 people during the ongoing pandemic.
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While a number of smaller festivals and concerts are expected to be held in the US later this year, the scale of Coachella means that it faces more challenges in going ahead.
As reported by Variety, many American states also have less strict COVID-19 protocols than California, the home of Coachella.
“There’s a big difference between having two weekends of Coachella in California and throwing a country festival in Florida,” a source said to Variety.
In January, Riverside County public health officer Dr Cameron Kaiser elaborated on the impact of COVID-19 when he signed a cancellation order for the April 2021 dates.
“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 said.
Check out the trailer for Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert:
