Upon simply hearing the word “Coachella,” what images come to mind? For the average person, they would imagine music’s hottest stars and alternative bands sharing the same stage, larger-than-life spacemen and butterfly sculptures and, of course, a large ferris wheel looming over the mountains of Southern California’s Mojave Desert.
This West Coast music festival, which is arguably the most culturally defining festival of our generation, could very well be getting an East Coast counterpart in New York City next June, which will surely be welcome news for any music fan unable to make the 3,000-mile trek out to Coachella.
The Coachella Festival has repeatedly made headlines in recent years with major acts such as AC/DC, Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the unforgettable Tupac hologram in 2013.
Reports have recently surfaced that the organizers behind the world-famous Coachella, AEG Live, has been scouting Flushing Meadows Corona Park right here in Queens for a similar festival that would purportedly take place in June of next year. This potential festival has been titled “Panorama,” and sources say that multiple musical artists have already been contacted about possible performances. Although the original Coachella sells an average of 198,000 tickets each year, Panorama is expected to draw a smaller crowd due to space constraints. The music festival would still be the largest gathering in Queens since it played host to New York’s World Fair in 1964, which coincidentally was hosted on the same grounds in Flushing Meadows.
Panorama has already been able to stir up some controversy, despite not even being fully confirmed yet. Its proposed June date comes only two weeks after the Governors Ball, an established New York City music festival whose lineup has previously included big name artists such as Drake, Lana Del Rey and Kanye West. While it has not yet been confirmed what musical genre Panorama will cater to, the company behind Governors Ball, Founders Entertainment, has expressed concern over increased competition to book and pay musical acts, which could ultimately result in higher ticket prices for festival goers.
AEG Live is no stranger to playing hosts to music festivals in the New York City area, although their previous ventures have not fared so well. They were the masterminds behind festivals such as All Points West in Jersey City, which only lasted for two years before becoming discontinued.
The prospect of a music festival similar to Coachella coming to Queens has generated some excitement here at the St. John’s campus. Freshman Arianna Pintado was one of these eager music fans, saying “I think that Panorama is a great idea. It would bring a lot of tourism into the area and it would be something fun for local college students to do. I would definitely go. It sounds like it would be awesome!”
If Panorama does end up making its way to New York City early next summer, one thing is for sure—its inaugural year is bound to be full of good music, dancing and surprises for all lucky attendees.
