Two major music festivals in the US have been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, organisers have said.
Coachella had been set to take place over two weekends in the California desert next month, with Rage Against The Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean headlining.
However, organiser Goldenvoice has now confirmed the festival has been postponed until October, citing advice from local health authorities.
— Coachella (@coachella) March 10, 2020
Stagecoach, the country music festival from the same organisers as Coachella, has also been pushed back from April to October.
In a statement, Goldenvoice said: “While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Coachella, one of the world’s highest profile music events, attracts some of the biggest names in music as well as a string of A-list attendees.
It will now take place on the weekends of October 9, 10 and 11 and October 16, 17 and 18.
Stagecoach will take place on October 23, 24 and 25.
All purchased tickets will be honoured, according to Goldenvoice, while anyone who bought a ticket will be told how to obtain a refund by March 13.
Coachella’s full title is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and it takes place in the Indio desert near Palm Springs.
It attracted about 250,000 attendees last year, while Stagecoach draws more than 70,000 country music fans. Health experts have warned against mass gatherings.
The double postponement follows the cancellation of the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, as the entertainment industry grapples with the spread of coronavirus.
No Time To Die, the upcoming James Bond film, had been set to open in theatres at the beginning of April but was pushed back to November.
And Sony Pictures announced on Tuesday that it was postponing the release of Peter Rabbit 2 to August.
China and Italy, two of the countries hardest hit by the Covid-19 outbreak, have closed all cinemas in an attempt to control the virus.