Goldenvoice announced on March 10 they will be postponing one of the most popular music festivals in the desert of Indio, Calif., Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Coachella was set to be on April 10 through the 12th and April 17 through the 19th, but has been postponed to be held on Oct. 9 through 12 and Oct. 18 through 20. This is the first time in Coachella’s 20-year history that its festival has been postponed.  

COVID-19 has caused multiple events to be shut down all over the country, like South By Southwest in Austin and Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Shortly after, Goldenvoice followed suit on making their decision to postpone Coachella, voicing their concerns about the health and safety of thousands that would attend the event. Goldenvoice made a statement saying, “All ticket prices and fees will be refunded…  and will be accepting refunds through May 1st.” Giving people a chance to cancel their tickets if they’re no longer available to attend Coahella. 

El Vaquero spoke to some students about how they feel about Goldenvoices’ decision. Valeria Avila, a 20-year-old communications major, believed Goldenvoice made the right decision by canceling Coachella. It’s a devastating turn of events, but it had to be done. Karan Kim, a 25-year-old biology major concurred.  “I think it’s an unfortunate measure but necessary to help contain the outbreak, and prevent people from getting the virus,” said Kim. There have already been 10,000 reported cases in California alone. If the event continued, numbers would skyrocket. Sharlene Gaspar, a 26-year-old sociology major said she believed we are “Better safe than sorry.” She added that if Goldenvoice continued with the event, she didn’t think festival-goers would be cautious. “They would go to Coachella regardless of the conditions going on around the world. People would party through this pandemic without a second thought and acting like COVID-19 isn’t happening,” she added. At Coachella, attendees have the option to camp out in their cars and utilize public toilets and showers, bringing them into constant close proximity both during concerts and after. Causing attendees exposure to the virus with those conditions.

In March, spring break enthusiasts visited Florida despite COVID-19 concerns. A report in the New York Times [https://nyti.ms/2UNag2b] suggested that at least 44 students from a Texas university contracted the virus at that time, even though vacationers told the media that they didn’t think the virus was a big deal. If Goldenvoice decided to proceed with Coachella, the repercussions would be much worse than the spring breakers affected.