Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will no longer require attendees to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus, organizers announced on Tuesday (Oct. 12). Festival goers will instead be allowed to produce either a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of their vaccination status, marking a reversal in the popular California music festival’s COVID-19 protocols.
“After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our festivals recently, alongside the rising vaccination rate of eligible Americans, we feel confident that we can safely update our policy for Coachella that allows for negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event OR proof of full vaccination,” a statement on the Coachella website read.
Just two months ago, AEG Presents, which produces Coachella; announced that after Oct. 1 attendees at all of their events would need to be vaccinated.
“We have come to the conclusion that, as a market leader, it was up to us to take a real stand on vaccination status,” Jay Marciano, chief operating officer of AEG and chairman and CEO of AEG Presents, said at the time. “Just a few weeks ago, we were optimistic about where our business and country were heading. The Delta variant, combined with vaccine hesitancy, is pushing us in the wrong direction again.”
Coachella is set to return to Polo Fields next year for the weekends of April 15 through 17 and April 22 through 24. The festival’s lineup has yet to be announced, but Travis Scott is confirmed to perform.
As reported by REVOLT, Frank Ocean is expected to headline Coachella 2023. The “Chanel” artist was initially slated to perform at the festival’s canceled 2020 installment along with co-headliners Scott and Rage Against the Machine.
“Right now, it’s the Wild West,” Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett told the Los Angeles Times in August. “I’m just trying to be as fair as I can to artists and to the fans to make sure that eventually they get to see everyone that we talked about.”