Stagecoach Festival

The Stagecoach Festival is an outdoor country music festival held annually at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Various artists attend, whether they be mainstream or relatively unknown,[1] ranging from folk, mainstream country, bluegrass, roots rock, and alternative country.[2] It is the highest-grossing festival centered on country music in the world.[3] The festival is presented by Goldenvoice, The Messina Group, and Moore Entertainment[4] and acts as a sister event to Goldenvoice's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, taking place the following weekend at the same site. The 2020 and 2021 Stagecoach Festivals were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]

Stagecoach
Entrance to the 2011 festival.
GenreCountry, country rock, Southern rock, bluegrass, heartland rock, alternative country
Location(s)Empire Polo Club
81-800 Avenue 51
Indio, California 92201
Years active2007–2019, 2022–
Websitestagecoachfestival.com

History

Stagecoach took place for the first time in 2007. Put on at the same venue, also by Goldenvoice, Stagecoach is seen as a "cousin" of Coachella. In 2012, the festival's 55,000 attendees marked its first sell-out crowd.[2] In 2018, Stagecoach set a new attendance record with 75,000 attendees.[7]

Notable performers have included Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brooks and Dunn, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, The Charlie Daniels Band, Alabama.[8] George Strait, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Eagles, Roger McGuinn, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Don Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Shania Twain, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, and Eric Church.

In 2020, Stagecoach had initially been scheduled for April, was then moved to October 23-25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on June 10 was (like Coachella) canceled entirely by an order from the Riverside County public health official.[5]

In recent years, Stagecoach has become somewhat of a Bachelor Nation hotspot, with numerous contestants from each season being invited to attend the festival and post pictures on Instagram. It was revealed that initial drama on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise resulted from romantic relationships that took place at the music festival earlier in the year.[9]

Camping

The facilities provide on-site camping for some festival-goers. The Desert Sun published an article on the camping, reporting that some attendees think that it, as a standalone event, is almost on par with the concerts.[10] The 2013 festival's tent/car camping policy was eliminated and the RV camping rules altered due to the overwhelming 55,000 person sellout crowd at the 2012 festival. The new rules were to stand until Goldenvoice decided on a different approach.[11]

Festival Cuisine

The festival showcases a variety of food and beverages to enjoy over the course of the weekend. Some of the restaurants expected for the 2013 festival were Jackelope Ranch, Las Casuelas, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Fisherman's Market & Grill, and vendors like Spicy Pie, Pink's Hot Dogs, and Waffleman Ice Cream Sandwiches. There are also full bars, a Cantina Restaurant, BBQ contest, and a pancake breakfast supporting the local Lion's Club.[12]

Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) sanctioned the Stagecoach Invitational BBQ Championship encompassing teams from across the nation competing for the KCBS California State championship.[4]

Apart from food, the festival offers alcoholic beverages as well, much like its sister festival, Coachella. However, the festival does not boast beer gardens and reserved drinking areas like its counterpart, which could be the reason why there are a considerable number of alcohol arrests. There was a reported 157 arrests made during the weekend-long festival in 2015.

Grand Champions
  • 2008 - Sug's Shack BBQ & BLQUE Cuttin Edge Que[13]
  • 2009 - Rhythm N' Que & Lotta Bull[14]
  • 2010 - Lotta Bull West[15]
  • 2011 - All Sauced Up[16]
  • 2012 - El Fuego Fiasco[17]

Lineups By Year
2007

Saturday, May 5


Sunday, May 6

2008

Friday, May 2


2008: Saturday, May 3


Sunday, May 4

2009

Saturday, April 25 & Sunday, April 26

2010

Saturday, April 24 & Sunday, April 25

2011

Friday, April 30 - Sunday, May 1

2012

Friday, April 27 - Sunday, April 29

2013

Friday, April 26

Saturday, April 27

Sunday, April 28

2014

Friday, April 25

Saturday, April 26

Sunday, April 27

2015

Friday, April 24

Saturday, April 25

Sunday, April 26

2016

Friday, April 29

Saturday, April 30

Sunday, May 1

2017

Friday, April 28

Saturday, April 29

Sunday, April 30

2018

Friday, April 27

Saturday, April 28

Sunday, April 29

2019

Friday, April 26

Saturday, April 27

Sunday, April 28

See also

References
  1. Willman, Chris. "Stagecoach Festival Ends on High Note With Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Martina McBride". CMT. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  2. Fessier, Bruce. "Stagecoach attracts big names, crowds as country music festival grows". My Desert. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  3. Highest grossing festivals worldwide
  4. Grossweiner, Bob; Cohen, Jane (11 Nov 2008). "Country music's Stagecoach Festival announces lineup for April 25–26". Ticket News. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  5. Wilkinson, Alissa (2020-07-24). "How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries". Vox. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  6. Roberts, Randall. "Coachella and Stagecoach festivals canceled, again (again)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  7. "Mix 100.5". Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  8. "News Updates". Stagecoach Music Festival. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  9. Lindsay, Kathryn. "Stagecoach Music Festival & Do They Put Love Potion In Their Beer?". Refinery 29. VICE media group. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  10. Peña, Xochitl (29 April 2012). "Stagecoach country festival a camp-out — plus music". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  11. Franko, Vanessa (13 Oct 2012). "Stagecoach 2013: All those rowdy friends must settle down". The Press Enterprise. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  12. "Food & Beverage". Stagecoach. 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  13. "May 2008". Kansas City Barbeque Society. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  14. "April 2009". Kansas City Barbeque Society. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  15. "April 2010". Kansas City Barbeque Society. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  16. "April 2011". Kansas City Barbeque Society. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  17. "April 2012". Kansas City Barbeque Society. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
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