Coachella has become the latest high-profile music festival to be sidelined by COVID-19.

This afternoon organizers Goldenvoice announced that the two-weekend showcase scheduled to feature acts like Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and a reunited Rage Against the Machine will not take be taking place next month. Coachella was originally announced for April 17-19, and April 24-26 in Indio, California. 

The news comes on the heels of last Friday's cancellation of Austin's high-profile South By Southwest showcase. Since then, music industry promoters have pulled the plug on major tours (Pearl Jam), and numerous festivals across the country, including two in Miami (the EDM-centred Ultra Music Festival and the Winter Music Conference) and one in Indio (the country-music celebration Stagecoach). 

The good news in all of this is that Coachella organizers are trying to salvage the 2020 version of the festival by moving the two weekends to October 9-11 and 16-18. The challenge will be getting all involved to rethink their tour schedules, with the hope obviously being that the coronavirus has been at semi-contained by that time. 

Along with Washington State, California has been hit hard by COVID-19 compared to the rest of the country. One hundred and forty three cases have been reported in California with two deaths, that is a stark contrast to Florida where there have been 15 cases. 

Upwards of 100,000 fans have attended each day of Coachella in recent years, making it one of the most successful music festivals in the world.