Stagecoach Music Festival Postponed Due to High Winds, Attendees Briefly Evacuated

Due to high winds at Stagecoach, festival promoter Goldenvoice postponed the festival Saturday night and attendees briefly evacuated.

The Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio was temporarily evacuated on Saturday night due to extreme wind gusts, prompting safety measures as the National Weather Service had issued a strong wind advisory for the area.

Videos and pictures posted to social media showed large screens behind the festival’s main stage displaying an “Emergency Evacuation” message stating the festival had been postponed until further notice and directing attendees to move quickly and calmly to the nearest exit.

The National Weather Service had advised earlier in the week that Southern California’s desert regions could experience elevated to strong westerly winds peaking Saturday night into early Sunday morning, with speeds reaching up to 55 mph and potentially higher through mountain passes.

At around 9 p.m., Stagecoach’s social media pages posted a message indicating the show would resume momentarily and that staff were working to open doors and prepare the site for fans to return.

By just before 9 p.m., the gates were reopened after the temporary evacuation, and the festival updated its schedule for Saturday night.

As a result of the wind-related disruption, Journey, which had been scheduled to play the Mustang Stage, and Riley Green, set to perform on the Mane Stage, did not take the stage.

Lainey Wilson, originally slated to headline the Mane Stage, performed an hour later than planned at 10:30 p.m., followed by Gavin Adcock + Whiskey Jam from 11 p.m. To 11:45 p.m. At the Palomino Stage, and Pitbull and Diplo’s HonkyTonk set lasting until 1 a.m.

The festival, which serves as the country music counterpart to Coachella, is annually held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio and featured headliners including Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Post Malone, and additional performances from Diplo, Pitbull, and Ludacris for the 2026 edition.

The city of Indio remained under the strong wind advisory until 11 a.m. Sunday morning, as issued by the National Weather Service.