COACHELLA Reverses Decision On Vaccine Mandate For Festival

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival promoters Goldenvoice have abandoned their plan to require proof of full vaccination for entry to next year's event.

Earlier today (Tuesday, October 12),Goldenvoice posted its updated health policy in which it said that festivalgoers will be allowed to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test as long as it's taken within 72 hours of the event.

"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," Coachella wrote on its web site and on Instagram.

According to Coachella's web site, each Goldenvoice festival may have its own health policy.

Two months ago, AEG Presents, the parent company of Goldenvoice, announced that attendees would have to be vaccinated in order to attend its festivals beginning in October.

Coachella is set to be held over the weekends of April 15-17 and April 22-24, 2022 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

The California desert festival was one of the first major music events to be affected by COVID-19, moving from its usual April 2020 dates to two weekends in October 2020 before being canceled altogether. Most recently, Goldenvoice was planning to host the event this on April 9-11, 2021 and April 16-18, 2021.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals were either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining made performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.