Following yesterday’s bombshell announcement that AEG Presents was beginning furloughs and cutbacks in spending due to COVID-19 (3 weeks after competitor Live Nation made the same decision), it seems more and more unlikely that Coachella will not happen this fall. In fact, according to a report from Billboard, that is exactly the case.
“It is clear now that live events with fans will not resume for many months and likely not until sometime in 2021,” AEG chief executive Dan Beckerman wrote. “When we are able to reopen, it will take time until we see our fans, partners and sponsors fully return.”
According to Billboard, only around 40% of ticketholders have asked for a refund for the annual Indio event, leaving about 60% still ready to party come next year. Organizers are considering throwing a reduced-capacity event during its normal April dates in 2021 — though it would probably be only one weekend like old times. If AEG/Goldenvoice doesn’t go ahead with a smaller event in April, it could still hold a full-size festival in October, though it’s unclear how that would change the trajectory of the festival’s dates from then on. 
Smaller club shows and creative drive-in raves have already begun to pop up around the country — and abroad — as the world begins to reopen in phases.
“It is our responsibility as a management team to protect our company and make sure that we are positioned for long-term success, and we are focused on this critical objective,” Beckerman wrote. “The world is slowly re-opening, and our industry will re-open later and more slowly than most. 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.”
via Billboard | Photo courtesy of Coachella
