Coachella music festival postponed

The uber-popular Coachella music festival has been postponed from its usual two-weekend-run in April to October due to concerns about the growing coronavirus.

Jamaica's Grammy-nominated reggae act, Koffee, was set to make her splash debut at the 2020 staging of arguably the biggest musical celebration in the world: the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The festival's producer, Goldenvoice, made the announcement on Tuesday, also confirming that Stagecoach, a country music festival also be postponed. Coachella, held in Southern California, will now take place from October 9-11 and October 16-18, while Stagecoach will take place October 23-25.

"At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns. 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," Goldenvoice said in a statement.

The company said all passes for original dates would be honoured for the rescheduled shows, and customers would be notified by Friday on how to obtain a refund if they cannot attend.

Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean were originally announced as headliners of Coachella. Goldenvoice didn't say if the performance line-up would change or stay intact. Others announced to perform include Calvin Harris, Lana Del Rey, Thom Yorke, 21 Savage, Disclosure, Summer Walker, Lil Uzi Vert, and FKA twigs.