The much anticipated Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been reportedly pushed back once again, from October 2021 to April 2022.
This would mark the fourth time Coachella dates have shifted. The festival first changed from April 2020 to October 2020, then to April and October 2021. However, it is important to note that the October 2021 date changes were not officially confirmed by promoters.
According to Variety, the decision to reschedule the event is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty about the logistics of holding a large-scale event during this time. While other festivals across the US such as Governers Ball and Outside Lands have been promoting their events, putting together Coachella, which sells 125,000 tickets a day across both weekends would require navigating a large number of COVID-safety challenges.
“There’s a big difference between having two weekend of Coachella in California and throwing a country festival in Florida,” one of the sources told Variety.
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Live Nation‘s CEO Michael Rapino previously stated that they expect outdoor and smaller concerts to return to the U.S. as of summer 2021. Since the U.K. recently announced it will allow larger music events to return to 100 percent capacity by June 21, Live Nation has voiced its optimism for the potential of the U.S. following suit. However, other major festivals such as the U.K.’s largest festival, Glastonbury has already announced its 2021 cancellation.