Coachella

Pandemic insurance will likely be a top priority for music festivals, concerts and all other major events once the coronavirus subsides ... but it's going to be a while before coverage is even possible.

This type of insurance is out of the question for festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach and EDC Las Vegas ... at least in the foreseeable future, according to numerous people we spoke with in the insurance biz. The folks with whom we checked said they want to see some data on the likely resurgence and mutations of the virus. They have no data on COVID-19 and no way to price the insurance policy.

As you know ... these fests were all scheduled for the spring, but have been postponed to October, and that's just the dream. As you know, the mayors of L.A. and NYC have already said large crowds are going to probably be a thing of the past, at least for the balance of the year.

We surveyed the people throwing these events and they all say currently they aren't covered for pandemics, but it's definitely on their priority lists now. Problem is ... if this year's events tank, the organizers may have to eat the losses.

Steve Howell, a media & music insurance broker in the UK, breaks it down this way -- you can't buy home insurance when your house is on fire. In other words, good luck getting pandemic insurance now.

Kevin Lyman, who organized the Warped Tour, agrees ... there's no way to get COVID-19 coverage currently ... period.

If these concerts are sidelined for what could be a year, everyone agrees ... the financial blow will be devastating.

Coachella might be on pause for right now, but couchella is a close second!

Since we can't make it to Indio just yet, we're trying to keep the festival fever alive by bringing some of the desert vibes straight to you!

If you're just chillin' on the couch, transport yourself straight to the festival by taking a look through our gallery of stars in flower crowns ... See all the famous faces such as Chelsea Handler, Josephine Skriver and Jasmine Tookes rock this floral look!

Coachella was supposed to kick off Friday with tens of thousands of fans flooding the desert ... instead it's been reduced to a ghost town.

The Empire Polo Club grounds, where thousands would park their asses and fire up their Instagram accounts lay bare ... almost like a scene out of "I am Legend."

The streets are empty and entrances to parking lots are also closed. As we reported ... Coachella -- as well as Stagecoach -- postponed the festival from April to October due to the rising cases of the novel coronavirus.

TMZ broke the story ... hotels are also taking a massive hit with attendees requesting refunds. Employees at various hotels we spoke to said it's unclear if they'll make up the loss of revenue come October.

But, for those who still wanna scratch their Coachella itch may find solace in this ... Coachella is slated to drop a documentary about the festival's history at noon Friday. Not coincidentally, it's the exact time doors were scheduled to open.

The documentary's dubbed "Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" ... and it'll give fans an in-depth look at the festival's origins and some of the best performances in history. Fans can find the doc on YouTube.

As you know by now ... Travis Scott, Rage Against the Machine and Frank Ocean are just some of the many artists who were scheduled to perform.

Coachella -- reportedly the nation's most profitable festival -- has already said all purchases for the April dates will be honored for the rescheduled October dates.

Joshua Tree is finally joining a long list of parks closing its trails to hikers and bikers ... just days after the area was besieged by quarantine-fleeing Angelenos.

The National Parks Service announced effective immediately the popular park in the Coachella Valley area is closed to ALL visitors until further notice. The park, of course, is completely shutting down in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

As we first reported ... Joshua Tree National Park was flooded with TONS of out-of-towners a little over a week ago, much to the chagrin of local neighbors. The park initially closed its visitor's center on March 18 and then closed its campgrounds on March 21.

But bored Angelenos couldn't keep their asses home anyway despite a "shelter at home" order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, thus forcing the National Parks Service's hand.

The closure comes a day after coronavirus cases in San Bernardino County hit 125, with four deaths.

A slew of Coachella-area hotels will take a beating when it comes to their bottom-line after its two famed festivals were postponed ... and the coronavirus, of course, is to blame.

We spoke to employees at various hotels in the region and they tell us losses in April will push well over $1 million ... a huge amount for a sleepy town that heavily relies on revenue from Coachella and Stagecoach's back-to-back-to-back weekends.

The festivals -- postponed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus -- will now take place on consecutive weekends beginning with Coachella October 9. For now, the hotel industry in the desert braces for a tough April.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton La Quinta expects revenue to be down a whopping 60% ... amounting to about $500k in total revenue.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Palm Desert was expecting to bring in around $450k. The hotel, which has 110 rooms, saw an immediate 10% drop in room cancelations just hours after promoters announced the festival's postponement. Same with Courtyard by Marriott Palm Desert, which had 25 rooms canceled.

The Comfort Suites Palm Desert, with 72 rooms, expects to lose about $200k. Indian Wells Resort Hotel expects to lose about $400k for the 3 weekends, but its bottom-line is also being affected by the famous Indian Wells tennis tournament also getting canceled.

We've been told there's optimism the hotels will make up the revenue -- not to mention TIPS for service workers -- when the festivals return in October, but a lot can happen between now and then too.

As we reported ... Airbnb's also been dealing with this and began issuing refunds.

Thousands of people who were stoked to attend Coachella next month aren't only disappointed, they're stressing out too ... over getting their money back from Airbnb.

As we reported ... the music festival's been postponed to October due to the coronavirus crisis, which means the folks who planned to travel to the Coachella Valley-area and booked a place to stay on Airbnb, are now scrambling for their refund.

That's because, so far, the online booking company is only offering full, automatic refunds to people who were traveling to countries like China, Italy and South Korea ... a fairly short list considering the virus has spread worldwide.

So, renters looking to get their money back have instead been instructed to cancel their reservation -- which automatically refunds 50 percent of their payment -- but they then have to reach out to the host, explain the extenuating circumstance for the cancellation ... and request return of the remaining 50% plus cleaning fees and other expenses.

The good news -- if a host rejects the full refund, renters can file a claim with Airbnb for a special review, and this policy includes some language that seems to support giving folks their cash back.

The policy reads ... "Epidemic disease or illness that suddenly affects a region or an entire group of people" qualifies as a special review circumstance, and policy decisions will be "based on announcements by the World Health Organization and local authorities."

Considering local officials declared a public health emergency in the county where Coachella's located, which clearly contributed to the postponement ... it should certainly fall under this category.

But, the ball's in Airbnb's court ... and so far, refunds are no guarantee.

Travis Scott, Rage Against the Machine and Frank Ocean will be legends of the fall -- Coachella and its headliners are moving to October due to the coronavirus crisis.

TMZ has confirmed agents for several acts booked for Coachella have been told the new dates are the consecutive weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16. The festival's promoter, Goldenvoice, is in the process now of informing reps for all the acts. The official announcement will likely come once that's done.

The massive music festival was originally scheduled for the weekends of April 10 and April 17, but it's now going the way of several other festivals that are either postponing or pulling the plug altogether.

South by Southwest canceled last week, as did the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Even live touring legend Pearl Jam just announced it would postpone its upcoming spring dates.

County music fans gotta change their travel plans too -- the Stagecoach festival is postponing from April 24 to October 23.

All of this comes on the heels of other major shifts due to coronavirus fears. TMZ broke the story ... Justin Bieber is moving several of his stadium tour dates to arenas to ensure they can fill the venues, even with reduced ticket sales amid the crisis.

Megan Thee Stallion is all smiles just days after her EP dropped ... and she's adamant it'll hold her fans over until THE BIG ONE drops.

We got the Houston rapper out over the weekend leaving Coach in NYC and she tells us it's been nothing but love since she dropped her 9-track EP, "Suga," on Friday. She's adamant it's gonna hold her fans over until her big album drops.

When that'll happen is unclear. Remember, Megan's label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, went to court and filed a motion to try and stop her from releasing her new music ... but in the end, it was Megan who notched the W in that battle.

Coachella's fate appears to be hanging in the balance as the county it sits in just confirmed its first case of coronavirus.

Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser made the announcement Sunday, saying RC is under a public health emergency because of a patient who's considered a "presumptive positive for coronavirus" after being tested by the Public Health Office.

Even more alarming ... the hospital this person is being treated at -- Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage -- is a mere 25 minutes from the Coachella festival site in Indio, CA. So, very close to home.

Kaiser says his team is assessing whether the infected individual has been in contact with others and whether more people might've been exposed. He also says no decisions have been made on the safety of future public events, and that he'll evaluate on a case-by-case basis.

As of Thursday, Kaiser had said he had NOT instructed the honchos running Coachella or Stagecoach to pull the plug -- but in light of this new development, that could change.

Riverside is the latest county in SoCal to declare a public emergency -- Orange and Los Angeles counties have already done so, as a handful of confirmed cases have been discovered in both.

If Coachella -- which kicks off its first weekend of festivities on April 10 -- is indeed canceled, it'll be a huge blow to the music community. Headliners like Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean were announced this year, and tickets have already gone on sale.