Coachella: revenue vs margin

Coachella reportedly brought in about $200 million in 2026, but the festival’s profit margin was squeezed by production and talent costs. (thestreet.com) The 2026 festival ran across two weekends, April 10-12 and April 17-19, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Coachella’s official schedule page lists those dates, and local coverage says Goldenvoice was the operator fined by the city. (coachella.com, mynewsla.com) The curfew bill added another cost. City officials said Goldenvoice was fined $44,000 after Weekend 2 sets by Anyma and Justin Bieber ran past Indio’s cutoff. (desertsun.com, nbclosangeles.com) Indio’s curfew rules are expensive even for short overruns. Local reports say the 2013 agreement with Goldenvoice sets a $20,000 penalty once a performance goes more than five minutes past curfew, with another $1,000 for each minute after that; Friday and Saturday curfew is 1 a.m. (kesq.com, aol.com) That gap between revenue and profit is common in major festivals. TheStreet reported that artist payouts, staging, and expansion pressures ate into Coachella’s earnings even in a year with headline-level sales. (thestreet.com) Coachella’s ticket base helps explain the size of the top line. Third-party guides tracking 2026 on-sale prices put general admission at roughly $549 to $649 and VIP at roughly $1,199 to $1,299, before many fans spend more on camping, food, merch, and travel. (ticketx.com, festivalviewer.com) The festival also moved large volumes. Coverage of the 2026 event described daily crowds of about 125,000, which is how a six-day event can produce a nine-figure gross while still facing tight operating math. (unilad.com, nbclosangeles.com) Coachella has paid curfew fines before, and the contract with Indio runs through 2050. In 2026, the latest lesson was that a festival can post blockbuster revenue and still feel the pinch from costs measured in both millions and minutes. (aol.com, thestreet.com)