Can you say Coachella East?
The New York Daily News is reporting this morning that AEG Live, the massive entertainment company behind Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Southern California and other large-scale events around the country, is eyeing the site of the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens for a new fest that could be called Panorama.
The festival would be held at the Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in June of next year, two weeks after the already-established Governors Ball at Randall’s Island.
More from the Daily News, with a h/t to Gothamist:
The fest — tentatively called Panorama — would not only be one of the biggest events in Queens since the 1964 World’s Fair, it could also draw fans and acts away from the wildly popular Governors Ball festival on nearby Randall’s Island.
AEG has already started recruiting acts and has a date in mind — two weeks after Governors Ball, possibly draining headliners from the city’s only major three-day music festival, run by one of the last independent promotion companies in the music industry, sources say.
“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,” said Tom Russell, of Founders Entertainment, which puts on Governors Ball.
Last year’s Coachella was headlined by OutKast, Muse and Arcade Fire. Governors Ball featured OutKast, the Strokes, Vampire Weekend, Jack White, and others.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park is roughly 200 miles from Boston, and about a four-hour drive.