Coachella 2020 officially canceled amid coronavirus

Coachella 2020, formerly in the wind, is officially a no go.

The Indio, California event will no longer take place this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard reported Tuesday.

Back in March, as the U.S. was starting to realize the virus would take a significant domestic toll, the multi-weekend festival, generally held in April, was postponed to October of 2020.

“It is clear now that live events with fans will not resume for many months and likely not until sometime in 2021,” Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of international concert promoter AEG, explained Monday in a letter notifying employees of impending layoffs of about 15% of its workers – another consequence of the health crisis.

It's uncertain whether Coachella will be back with a bang in April of next year – which would likely require a drop in the 125,000-people-per-day capacity – or October. The latter would likely allow for a larger capacity.

AEG officials are relatively optimistic about scheduling the festival for April at 60% capacity though final decisions are on hold until a clearer picture emerges of how coronavirus will play out.

“When we are able to reopen, it will take time until we see our fans, partners and sponsors fully return,” Beckerman acknowledged, noting that in turn, “Our revenues will continue to be significantly impacted for an extended period.”

Regarding AEG’s coming layoffs, furloughs – of over 100 employees – and 20-50% pay cuts, Beckerman said such measures will likely last through the end of the year, though they’ll be reevaluated in three months.

“The world is slowly re-opening, and our industry will reopen later and more slowly than most,” he wrote. “As a result, our organization and workforce have to adapt and evolve to meet the demands, challenges and economic circumstances we are likely to face when we emerge from this crisis.”