Organisers of a small music festival in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, have been forced to change its name from “Cowchella” to “Moo-La-La” after receiving a complaint from the operators of the massive US festival, Coachella – spending thousands to replace banners and signs. Steps star Ian “H” Watkins, one of the hosts, described the situation as “mindblowing”.
The issue arose when the festival’s social media accounts went down, and the name disappeared from its Eventbrite ticketing page. Organisers soon discovered the cause: an email containing an “official complaint from Coachella”, or specifically, from Coachella Music Festival, LLC, or lawyers representing AEG, the company that owns Coachella.
Ian “H” Watkins, who is hosting the event alongside actress Claire Sweeney and BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans, admitted he initially thought their social media sites had been “hacked”. Speaking to the PA news agency, Watkins said he was taking the complaint as a “massive compliment that they feel like that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine”.
He was keen to highlight the vast difference between the two events. “What we’re doing is very, very different to what they do,” Watkins stated. While Coachella features global superstars like Beyonce, Billie Eilish, and Bad Bunny, the Cowbridge festival will showcase “the number one tribute acts in the country”. Acts scheduled to perform include Harry Styled UK, Got to be Taylor Swift, Got to be Steps, Got to be Mamma Mia, and Wickedly Hariana. Watkins also pointed out that Coachella doesn’t have himself, Claire Sweeney, and Owain Wyn Evans hosting.
The festival, now officially called the Moo-La-La Music Festival, is scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd, at Bear Field in Cowbridge. Its original name, Cowchella, was intended as a “cheeky nod to Cowbridge,” the market town in the Vale of Glamorgan. Organisers expressed their surprise that Coachella, a festival drawing around 100,000 attendees per day with tickets costing hundreds of pounds (ranging from £440 to £860), was even aware of their small event. By contrast, the Cowbridge event’s tickets range from £6.13 to £16.96, and the population of Cowbridge is 3,645.
Watkins acknowledged that the name change has resulted in a “financial impact that we have to absorb,” as thousands of pounds spent on “marketing costs, posters and banners” around the town will now have to be discarded. He noted that many festivals use similar naming concepts, citing the Welsh event GlastonBarry, inspired by Glastonbury, which has not faced the same issue.
The aim of the festival, formerly known as Cowchella, is to “make it accessible for families that can’t afford to go to Cardiff or London” for expensive music events. Organisers wanted to provide an affordable, family-friendly place for people to have a great time, promising “great food, great drink” at the event. Watkins, who is actively involved in the Cowbridge community through events like Pride, panto, and decorating the town hall, stated that Moo-La-La aims to celebrate the town and its “untapped potential”.
Locals reacted strongly to the news, with one telling GB News the move was “absolutely pathetic from Coachella,” branding them “Total killjoys”.
In a statement posted on social media, the organisers explained what happened: “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! 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!”
This isn’t the first time Coachella’s owners have pursued smaller events over the name. A Minneapolis literary nonprofit called Cow Tipping Press, which holds an annual event supporting writers with intellectual/developmental disabilities, also received a cease and desist letter from lawyers representing AEG. The letter claimed their use of “Cowchella” created a “likelihood of confusion” and constituted “trademark infringement”. Despite initially exploring legal options, Cow Tipping Press ultimately changed their event name, referring to it more generically, to avoid further legal issues with AEG.
Despite the unexpected hurdle and the required rebrand, the Cowbridge organisers confirmed the event will proceed as planned under the new name. “Same incredible event, same line up, fab new name!” they announced, asking for support in spreading the word after losing their original social media presence. Existing tickets remain valid.
Image credits:
Coachella art installation: Photo by Andrew Ruiz
Coachella sprial and ferris wheel: Photo by Benjamin Farren
Cowbridge: © Copyright Mike Faherty and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
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