Coachella ‘unlikely’ to happen in October, Billboard reports

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Scene from Coachella 2019 (Photo by Bronson)

The once-postponed Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival is “unlikely” to happen in October, according to a report today in Billboard.

Coachella promoter Goldenvoice is weighing whether to do two festivals in 2021, the report said, noting that 40 percent of those who purchased tickets for this year’s festival have requested refunds. Everything depends on the length and severity of the pandemic, and there has been no official word yet from Goldenvoice.

That news comes amid more grim news for the live entertainment industry. AEG, which owns Goldenvoice, laid off 15% of its workforce on Monday and instituted furloughs and pay reductions for others. Lollapalooza, scheduled for July 30-Aug. 2 in Chicago, became the latest major festival to be canceled.

And the continued shutdown could take an ever grimmer toll on independent venues — a new survey of members of the new National Independent Venues Association said that 90 percent would have to close in the coming months unless they receive aid.