LOS ANGELES: The Coachella music festival due to be held in southern California in April 2021 was canceled on Friday by local health officials because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
It was the third time the outdoor event, one of the largest music festivals in the world, had been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic.
“The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival currently scheduled for April 2021 are hereby cancelled,” an order from Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said.
It said the decision was made to reduce the likelihood of exposure to the virus.
Coachella brings half a million fans to an open-air site in the California desert. Its April 2020 event was initially rescheduled for October 2020, and then again to April 2021.
The decision follows a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in southern California in the past two months. - Reuters