Stagecoach briefly evacuated by winds

Stagecoach briefly evacuated the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday night after high winds forced Goldenvoice to halt Day 2 of the country music festival. (kesq.com) (abc7.com) Festivalgoers were told to evacuate at 7:46 p.m. and move to their vehicles or other protected areas because debris could be tossed by heavy winds, according to alerts cited by KESQ. Screens at the site carried an “Emergency Evacuation” message telling people to leave quickly and calmly. (kesq.com) (nbclosangeles.com) Goldenvoice sent another alert at 8:37 p.m. saying “the show will resume momentarily” and that crews were preparing the site for safety. Doors reopened at 9 p.m., and the festival resumed with revised set times later that night. (kesq.com) (abc7.com) The disruption hit one of the festival’s biggest nights. Saturday’s lineup included Lainey Wilson as the headliner, with Pitbull also closing late-night programming after the reopening. (dailynews.com) (stagecoachfestival.com) Weather had been a concern before the evacuation. The National Weather Service posted a wind advisory for the Coachella Valley from 2 p.m. Saturday through 11 a.m. Sunday, warning of west winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour and gusts up to 50 miles per hour, with isolated gusts to 60 through the passes. (weather.gov) (kesq.com) USA Today reported Indio saw gusts above 40 miles per hour Saturday night, while other parts of the Coachella Valley reached 50 miles per hour, citing National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Steward. The federal forecast for Indio also warned of blowing dust and gusts as high as 40 miles per hour overnight. (usatoday.com) (weather.gov) Stagecoach is Goldenvoice’s three-day country festival at the same Indio site that hosts Coachella, and the 2026 edition runs April 24-26. This year’s top-billed headliners are Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Post Malone. (stagecoachfestival.com) By late Saturday, the festival was back on schedule enough to finish Day 2, but the evacuation became the night’s defining interruption. Sunday’s event was set to continue with Post Malone headlining the final night. (latimes.com) (abc7.com)