Ticketing trouble and a $10M fine
Some Coachella attendees reported canceled purchases and account issues with resale platforms as the festival began, according to local NBC Palm Springs reporting. (nbcpalmsprings.com). Separately, StubHub agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC allegations over deceptive ticket pricing and has been criticized for not disclosing total ticket prices, per Epoch Times, SWOK News and legal analysis summaries. ( ).
As Coachella opened on Friday, April 10, some festivalgoers said resale-ticket purchases were canceled or locked behind account problems. (nbcpalmsprings.com) NBC Palm Springs reported those complaints as crowds arrived in Indio for Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Club. Coachella’s official site lists the 2026 festival dates as April 10-12 and April 17-19. (nbcpalmsprings.com) (coachella.com) The ticketing problems landed one day after the Federal Trade Commission said StubHub agreed to pay $10 million to settle allegations that it hid mandatory fees and failed to show total ticket prices up front. The agency announced the proposed settlement on April 9. (ftc.gov) The Federal Trade Commission said its Fees Rule took effect on May 12, 2025, and requires sellers of live-event tickets to show the “total price” clearly and prominently. The agency said StubHub received a warning letter in May 2025 and still failed to include total prices across the first three pricing displays on its site. (ftc.gov) According to the complaint described by the agency, the alleged violations came in mid-May 2025, including during sales of National Football League tickets around the May 14, 2025 schedule release. On the third pricing screen, the Federal Trade Commission said StubHub listed separate fees but still did not disclose a total price. (ftc.gov) That enforcement action hit the secondary market just as Coachella buyers were leaning on resale options. Coachella’s official site directs fans looking for passes to AXS Official Resale, while other outlets reported resale demand for 2026 weekend tickets as the festival began. (coachella.com) (mlive.com) The Federal Trade Commission said the $10 million will fund monetary relief for eligible consumers through a settlement and redress program. The proposed order also bars StubHub from misrepresenting ticket prices and requires upfront disclosure of mandatory fees. (ftc.gov) StubHub said in a statement carried by Bloomberg that it had already moved to all-in pricing and that the settlement resolves the matter without an admission of wrongdoing. The company told Bloomberg it was pleased to put the issue behind it. (bloomberg.com) For fans trying to enter a sold-out festival, the split is stark: one problem is whether a ticket works at the gate, and the other is whether the posted price was the real price. By the first afternoon of Coachella 2026, both questions were colliding in the desert. (nbcpalmsprings.com) (ftc.gov)
