Coachella has been postponed until October as fears grow over the coronavirus epidemic.
Organisers have decided to put the festival on hold for a few months while world governments attempt to regain control of the virus.
Advert
The event is one of the most hotly-anticipated festivals of the year, with the likes of Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, Dave, Hot Chip, and Little Nas X set to perform at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, this April.
However, with the number of cases of the virus rising to more than 116,000 and over 4,000 having died, the decision was taken to move it to the weekends of 9, 10 and 11, and 16, 17 and 18 October.
Stagecoach, another music festival due to be held in California, will take place in October 23, 24 and 25.
People who are unable to attend the festival will be offered refunds.
Advert
Coachella is the latest arts event to be affected by the ongoing outbreak. Last week, South by Southwest (SXSW) announced that it was cancelling this year's festival.
In a statement released by its organisers, SXSW said it was utterly devastated by the decision.
They said: "The show must go on' is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place.
Advert
"We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation."
According to one study, with visitors spending £270m at last year's event, the cancellation could bring with it a huge financial loss.
Airlines have also been impacted, with Qantas and Jetstar dramatically cutting down flights to Asia, the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Australia's national carrier has slashed the number of flights leaving the country by nearly a quarter because of the coronavirus.
Advert
A statement from Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, read: "In the past fortnight we've seen a sharp drop in bookings on our international network as the global coronavirus spread continues.
"When revenue falls you need to cut costs, and reducing the amount of flying we do is the best way for us to do that.
"Less flying means less work for our people, but we know coronavirus will pass and we want to avoid job losses wherever possible. We're asking our people to use their paid leave and, if they can, consider taking some unpaid leave given we're flying a lot less.
"It's hard to predict how long this situation will last, which is why we're moving now to make sure we remain well positioned. But we know it will pass, and we'll be well positioned to take advantage of opportunities when it does."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Science, Interesting, US Entertainment, Health
