Coachella and Stagecoach are staying in Indio, Calif. through 2050 and have signed a long-term lease with the owners of the the 642-plus acre Empire Polo Club, solidifying the sprawling desert oasis as the permanent home of both the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the country-centric Stagecoach festival.
As part of the agreement, Goldenvoice will take over year-round operations at the festival site and polo fields estimated to be worth $80 million, according to local land records. Goldenvoice will be permitted to stage two additional large scale music festivals on the site annually, like the 2016 Desert Trip Festival featuring the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Roger Waters.
The lease follows an agreement reached with the Indio City Council in August, extending its development agreement from 2030 to 2050, solidifying Riverside County community as the long term home of North America’s largest multi-genre festival and country music festival. As part of the pact, Goldenvoice can stage two additional three-day festivals on the site every year for a total of five festival weekends per year. Coachella is currently held over two weekends while Stagecoach takes place over one weekend. Goldenvoice generates $3.5 million for the city of Indio each year, according to city records.
The deal also provides Goldenvoice oversight of the Empire Grand Oasis, a special event property in Thermal, Calif.
Alexander Haagen III, son of one of Southern California’s largest developers, owns the Empire Polo Club said in a statement “We are pleased to continue our long- term relationship with Paul Tollett and Goldenvoice. The new long-term lease will assure that the iconic Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals will continue for many years to come and allow Goldenvoice to expand their vast catalog of musical acts on both of Empire’s properties. We wish the very best to AEG, Goldenvoice, and Paul Tollett with their future plans.”
“Goldenvoice has had a unique relationship with Empire Polo Club for over twenty-five years. It is a privilege to now take over the operations of the venue and we look forward to continuing to build upon the special history that has been established there. It’s immeasurable how much we’ve learned from Al Haagen,” says Paul Tollett, president of Goldenvoice.
After a two year hiatus, Coachella returns April 15-17 and 22-24, 2022, with Travis Scott, Swedish House Mafia and Rage Against the Machine headlining. Stagecoach returns April 29 to May 1, 2022.