Coachella 2021 Cancelled Following Emergency Public Health Order

"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."

Author:

Cameron Sunkel

Today, Riverside County's public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser signed an order that has effectively cancelled both Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival, which were scheduled to take place in April 2021.

Prior to 2020, Coachella had gone on annually for nearly two decades without a hitch. However, that has dramatically changed since the onset of the pandemic. In March of last year, organizers pushed the dates out to October, but continual restrictions around major events ultimately forced them to delay the event again until April 2021.

Despite having their 2021 dates set since the summer of last year, public health restrictions have largely remained constant since then. Dr. Kaiser's office released the news of the order to cancel the festivals via Twitter and an accompanying statement.

"This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, thereby slowing the spread of COVID-19 in communities worldwide," the statement reads. "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."