Coachella Forces Welsh Cowchella Festival to Rename Amid Legal Dispute

Ian "H" Watkins, a member of Steps, expressed surprise and amusement after Coachella Ltd, the company behind the large California music festival, forced his small Welsh festival to change its name from Cowchella to Moo-La-La Festival. The Welsh event's social media accounts and ticket pages were taken down following the complaint, despite the festival being significantly different in scale and style, featuring tribute acts and local hosts rather than major international stars like Beyoncé. Watkins took the legal challenge as a compliment, suggesting it showed their event was perceived as a threat by the much larger festival, and expressed pride that Cowbridge was gaining recognition. Although the name change caused financial losses due to marketing materials needing to be discarded, the organizers assured that tickets remained valid for the August event. The Welsh festival highlighted that similar local festivals with names inspired by larger events, such as GlastonBarry, have not faced such challenges, which some locals view as petty behavior by Coachella. The Moo-La-La Festival will feature performances by tribute acts and local celebrities, maintaining its community focus despite the dispute.