Coronavirus: Coachella becomes latest music festival to be postponed

Acts lined up include Lewis Capaldi, Lana Del Rey, Rage Against the Machine and Frank Ocean

Lana Del Rey at an Apple launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York (Getty)

The Coachella music festival, which was due to start on 10 April, has been postponed until October amid fears of spreading the coronavirus.

The event, an annual highlight of the music scene since 2001, was due to be held between 10 April and 19 April, at Indio, California.

It is now scheduled for the weekends of 9-11 October and 16-18 October.

In a statement on the Coachella website, organisers said: “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.

“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 will now take place on October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 18, 2020. Stagecoach will take place on October 23, 24 and 25, 2020. All purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates. Purchasers will be notified by Friday, March 13 on how to obtain a refund if they are unable to attend.

“Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the desert this fall.”

Acts lined up for the festival include Lewis Capaldi, Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Thom Yorke, Run the Jewels, Lil Nas X, FKA twigs, Slowthai, Idles and Sleaford Mods.