Coachella Could Be Coming to New York

Coachella, the famous Southern California gathering that's known officially as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, might be bringing its talents to Queens. According to an item in the New York Daily News, the festival organizers are looking to transpose the experience to the East coast, and are eyeing Flushing Meadows Corona Park as just the spot to do it. AEG Live, the live promotion arm of the sports and entertainment giant, is reportedly eyeing a slot two weeks after Governors Ball, the independently-thrown three-day affair on Randalls Island. The Daily News claims that AEG has already begun reaching out to acts about performing.

While some are eager to welcome the AEG festival, tentatively called Panorama, others worry about the logistical concerns that come with putting on an event of such size. Others have raised complaints about the precedent of a corporate-backed event compromising and potentially pushing out an independent competitor that has become an institution. “The timing of this corporate-run festival would threaten our ability as a small business to continue putting on the kind of event that has showcased the best artists, created hundreds of local jobs and put millions of dollars back into the city’s economy,” says Tom Russell of Founders Entertainment, the company that puts on Governors Ball. This past April, Coachella drew some 200,000 fans for two weekends of performances to see a bill headlined by AC/DC and Drake. It was founded in 1999 and, after a hiatus in 2000, has run each spring since 2001.