Just last week (March 6), SXSW organisers announced that this year’s edition of the Austin festival was being called off due to fears about spreading coronavirus, and Goldenvoice – the company behind Coachella – seems to be working hard to avoid its Indio, California festival suffering the same fate.

Specifically, Goldenvoice has been checking artist availability and contacting agents with new dates, according to reports from Variety and Billboard. The new schedule would have the festival take place on the weekends of October 9 and October 16 (rather than in April, as originally planned). Stagecoach, a country music festival that follows Coachella, would also be pushed back.

Obviously, the change would be a massive upheaval for organisers, artists, staff, and guests, but the alternative is likely to cancel the festival completely, as happened with SXSW. 

While the SXSW cancellation will have repercussions for the musicians and filmmakers involved, it also means Austin will lose an estimated $356 million (for Coachella and Stagecoach, this figure would be closer to $1 billion, according to NBC’s projection from last year).

As long as it goes ahead, and no one drops out due to the move, this year’s Coachella headliners include Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, and Rage Against the Machine. Lana Del Rey, Thom Yorke, and Megan Thee Stallion are also slated to appear.

To keep track of the many events that have already been cancelled due to coronavirus (and those that haven’t), there’s also a website you can consult. Coachella is, as of writing, listed as: “uh oh.”

Update (March 10, 23:10): Coachella has now officially announced the rescheduling, confirming that the dates have been changed to October 9, 10, and 11, and October 16, 17, and 18. See the announcement below.