5 Bizarre Changes You Can Expect at Coachella Now That It’s in October

mar 19, 2020

The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has now been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, affecting the worldwide population. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that coronaviruses "are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans."

Since there are no known cures or vaccines for coronavirus yet, doctors and government agencies are relying on social distancing to contain the virus, along with washing hands often. This has resulted in all major festivals, including SXSW and Coachella, to either be cancelled or postponed.

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Coachella, the iconic Indie music festival that takes place over two weekends in April, has been postponed because of coronavirus—which is shocking, but also shows the severity of the situation. The festival will now take place in Oct., so rest assured you'll still get your music festival fix in Indio this year, but some things will most definitely change.

Below are five bizarre changes you can expect at Coachella, now that it's in Oct.:

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Fashion

Coachella is equally synonymous with fashion as it is music. Festival-goers get decked out in their Woodstock best, wearing everything from vintage to fringe to feathers to punk looks. Since the festival is usually blisteringly hot, outfits tend to be minimal. However, Oct., while still warm, is not nearly as hot as mid-April, so it will definitely affect the looks we see on the fairgrounds—possibly even for the better.

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Halloween-Timing

We love fall—it ushers in autumnal tones, PSLs, and Halloween, but Coachella and Halloween could be a strange pair. Will festival-goers wear costumes to the fairgrounds? We guess we'll have to wait and see.

Election-Timing

It's 2020, which means it's an election year! The election for President of the United States takes place on Nov. 3, but that means Oct. will be filled with voting conversations and campaigns. We expect to see loads of political references, signage, apparel and more this Coachella, which will definitely be a first.

Weather

This plays off of fashion, but seriously though, what will the weather be like? California weather in Oct. can be super strange and extreme. Sometimes it's our hottest month of the year, other times it's freezing… what will this year be like? In addition, there will be a time change that we don't experience in April. Will this have an effect on set times? Parties? We'll have to wait and see.

Artists

So you bought your Coachella tickets thinking you were going to see Travis Scott, Rage Against the Machine and Frank Ocean—but will they all be free with the new date? We're hoping the lineup remains intact, but rescheduling that many musicians sounds like an unmanageable nightmare.

To stay up to date with the latest coronavirus developments, go to the CDC.

Does Coronavirus-induced social distancing have you all out of sorts? HERE's how to stay sane amid the chaos.