- California music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have officially been canceled for 2020.
- Cameron Kaiser, the public health officer for Riverside County, announced the cancellations on Wednesday, citing restrictions still in place due to the coronavirus pandemic and also concerns about the risks of potential for the virus to spread at the densely-packed venue.
- Both festivals were slated to be held in October at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
- Several other major music festivals, including Creamfields in England and Mad Cool Festival in Spain, have also had to cancel their 2020 shows.
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Coachella and Stagecoach, two large music festivals in the US, have been canceled in response to restrictions still in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cameron Kaiser, the public health officer for Riverside County, announced in a public order on Wednesday that both California festivals will be canceled for the 2020 calendar year.
"This order is issued as a result of the worldwide epidemic of COVID-19 disease," the order reads. "This order is issued based on concerns of a fall resurgence of COVID-19 both within the County of Riverside and worldwide."
According to Kaiser, if COVID-19 were to be detected at these festivals — which hosts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world — "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."
In a news release announcing the cancellation, Kaiser said that events like Coachella and Stagecoach "would fall under [California Gov. Gavin Newsom's] Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter. Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward."
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, across two weekends. This year, the festival was initially planned for April but was ultimately rescheduled for the weekends of October 9-11 and October 16-18.
The festival's headliners included Travis Scott, Rage Against the Machine, and Frank Ocean.
Stagecoach, Coachella's country music counterpart, was slated to be held from October 23-25 at the same venue.
Headliners included Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Eric Church, and included performances by Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X.
Several other major music festivals, including Creamfields in England and Mad Cool Festival in Spain, have also had to cancel their 2020 shows.
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