The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has scrapped plans to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for its 2022 event. Instead, it has loosened regulations to allow admittance with either proof of vaccination or a recent negative test. Its partner fest, the country music-focused Stagecoach Festival, has done the same.
Next year’s Coachella is set to take place over two weekends, April 15–17 and April 22–24, 2022, at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. Stagecoach is scheduled for April 29–May 1, 2022, at the same site. In August, the fests’ parent organizer, AEG Presents, announced attendance requirements of full vaccination at its owned and operated events and venues.
However, those have evidently been rolled back as of this week, as Coachella shared on social media. Stagecoach echoed the statement on their own social media outpost.
On Tuesday (Oct. 12), Coachella said in an Instagram story, “After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident that we can update our health policy to allow for: • Negative Covid-19 test taken with 72 hours of the event OR • Proof of full vaccination.”
Since artists began touring again after a largely concert-less 2020, many have canceled or postponed shows due to the contagious disease behind the pandemic.
Rockers who have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last few months include Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Chad Gray (Mudvayne), Sean Killian (Vio-Lence), Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row), Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (KISS), Jonathan Davis and Munky (Korn), and members of Tesla and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Metal singer Eric Wagner died in August after being hospitalized with COVID pneumonia.
Vaccination and booster efforts continue as 57 percent total in the U.S. are now fully inoculated. Over 700,000 Americans have died of COVID, according to The New York Times.
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