A small festival in Wales has been bullied into changing its name after it appeared too similar to a major festival held in the US.
Cowchella announced it will now go by the name of Moo-La-La, having been kicked off its social media accounts by “killjoy” Coachella.
Organisers said the world-famous US festival had submitted a complaint over the likeness of the names.
They added that the title was a nod to its location Cowbridge, a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The original Cowchella poster
Supplied
In a statement on Instagram, the Welsh festival said: “As many of you know, we’ve been working on a music festival for Cowbridge for years… and it’s finally happening on August 2!
“But last night, everything changed. We logged in to our socials – and bam – everything was gone. Then we got word from our ticketing provider: Coachella Music Festival, LLC had submitted a complaint.
“Now let’s be clear – we totally understand, and we’ve fully complied. The original name was a cheeky nod to Cowbridge. Honestly, we’re a bit SHOOK they even know who we were!
“So, allow us to re-introduce… MOO-LA-LA MUSIC FESTIVAL! Same incredible event, same line up, fab new name!”
The festival was forced to rebrand as ‘Moo-La-La’
It added: “We’d LOVE your support spreading the word as we’ve lost all of our pages. IF you already have tickets – you don’t need to do anything. They are valid!
“Coachella is held in California and can generate £520million for the local economy. It has an average daily attendance of 125,000 and tickets start at £440 and range up to £860.
Previous performers include Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Radiohead.
Tickets for Cowchella, now Moo-La-La, range from £6.13 to £16.96. The population of Cowbridge is 3,645.
Coachella draws in huge names and crowds with tickets reaching up to £860
GETTY
Acts at the Welsh festival include H from Steps, BBC Radio 2 star Owain Wyn Evans and Brookside actress Claire Sweeney.
Tribute acts to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles and Sabrina Carpenter are all due to perform.
A local resident told GB News: “This is absolutely pathetic from Coachella.
“It’s so petty and won’t affect their brand in the slightest.”
She added: “Total killjoys.”
The festival received a complaint from Coachella
GETTY
H from Steps said: “Still can’t believe it to be honest.”
Lisa Campbell said: “Omg how petty of them. Love this name even more though. Let’s hope the French don’t get the hump.”
Louise Reed said: “It’s an internationally renowned festival now. Come on Coachella and Meta – it’s a family-friendly festival in a small Welsh town – hardly a threat.”
Coachella and Instagram owner Meta have been approached for comment.
