Stagecoach Country Music Festival

What is not to love about a great festival? It was a blast and something I will always remember.
— the shuttle service was awesome. Well worth it’s $

Stagecoach 2015 over Coachella 2015
Sorry, but it’s true. I may be an Asian girl but I’m from the Midwest and given the opportunity to throw on some cowboy boots and a hat, I can get real honky tonk. Stagecoach 2015 had an awesome line-​up and all of the same vendors as Coachella. I had to break out my warrior genes to survive Coachella and Stagecoach back to back but it was totally worth it. I don’t know if it’s just me but Stagecoach had a much better vibe and less of a crowd PLUS line dancing and a petting zoo. WIN.
I can’t wait until Stagecoach 2016!

Finally took the plunge and went to Stagecoach this year. I went with four girlfriends and we had an absolute blast. I spoke to a lot of friends who have attended past years of both Stagecoach and Coachella, so I got a lot of good pointers in advance. Here is what I would advise:
–Bring some old blankets you don’t care about to sit on when you’re not in the mood to dance around or stand for the artists. Don’t flip out when people walk over your blanket to get to their spot. Breathe…
–Rent a locker. It’s so nice to have a pit stop where you can drop your warmer layers for evening and keep your blankets at night.
–Check out the BBQ competition on day 1! We waited until day 3 and there were only three vendors left that had food samples for sale. We were all really bummed we didn’t explore this sooner, as we heard it was incredible. (The vendors who were part of the competition all had 2 oz of BBQ for $ 3). Looks like people at Stagecoach were just really hungry and cleared it out earlier in the week.
–Pack lots of sunblock and a hat! It’s freaking hot.
–Bring in an (empty) water bottle. We read it can’t be metal, plastic only. We all just brought empty Gatorade or Powerade bottles to fill up.
–Get there earlier in the day if you want a decent seat.
–Get there REALLY early (like opening time) if you want an AWESOME seat within GA.
–Don’t be that a hole who «reserves» a giant area in GA. If you can’t afford VIP don’t ruin it for everyone else by hogging a huge area. Besides, security will rip down the rope you’re reserving it with, they did that all day on day 2 and 3.
–There’s a standing room only pit for GA, so if you want to watch an artist closer, you can.
–Sneaking in alcohol if you choose– but the security team busted almost every «sneaky» flask we saw. (The tampon flask– they had a stack of them in the trash, they’ve seen it all).
–Drinks run about $ 10 a pop.
–This year, there was a margarita vendor near the stage and lines were never more than 2 mins long. (As opposed to the 20 minute line at the main bar area). If you befriend the bartender day 1 and give them a fat tip, you’ll get heavy pours the rest of the weekend… Just sayin’. They all work the same spot all weekend.
Everyone there seemed to be out for a good time. We didn’t encounter anyone too rowdy or crazy, it was a pretty chill atmosphere. There was also a decent police presence, so that probably didn’t hurt keeping the crazies in line. The musicians were all incredible– too many to list. I just wish some of the sets were longer. The only people with a chance to encore were the the main three artists.
My only real complaint is how long it takes at the end of the night between when you leave your blanket until you get back to your hotel. It’s a solid mile walk to the shuttles, where if you stay through the closing act (and why wouldn’t you???) it’s another hour or so waiting in the shuttle line. And from there, it’s another 30 – 45 minutes to get to any of the hotels. It’s a process.
All in all, just go in with a great attitude. This is a pretty penny for anyone to attend this festival, so most people want to partake in the good vibes, beautiful people and AMAZING music. We will be back next year!

Awesome venue. Don’t waste money on VIP parking. It’s a waste. Nothing special. After you park there is only a few step difference to the venue. Otherwise great venue and will try to get to it every year.

— Good music and plenty of it.
— The beer and food lines are very long and sometimes I had to give up while already in line so I didn’t miss an act. The beer selection was also very disappointing as all they really have are: Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top, and Stella.
They havr a huge sign that said «Beer Garden»… and then you go and there were only those 4 choices. However, they did have a tent about 150 yards away from the Mane Stage that had a decent selection of craft beers, however, they were $ 9 — $ 10 each and the serving size was literally the size of a Dixie Cup (Maybe 8 – 10 Oz’s?). In addition to that, it’s too far away to be able to shuttle back-​and-​forth for each round there.
— Both my wife and I have had extremely sore throats the past 3 days (Sunday of festival + Mon/​Tues after) due to the dust bowl that is the Red Path (walkway between festival and parking). We also overheard many people along the path saying they were dealing with the same thing.
— The parking lots are atrocious, especially getting out after the show. Quickest we made it out of the parking lot from the time we got in our car was 55 mins.
— Lack of reasonably priced hotels is brutal and the closest ones are ~15 mins from festival grounds. It’s so bad that we actually drove home to sleep after Night 1 because the cheapest decent hotel (Hampton Inn) was over $ 300/​night.

After attending Stagecoach for the past 5 years (with the exception of 2013) I can honestly say, this is probably my last year attending. The festival hasn’t really changed much through the years and unlike Coachella there are NEVER any surprises, the line up is what you get. For a first time festival goer I am sure it is still a great experience, but for me, I have better things to spend a couple thousand dollars on (camping, food, tickets, drinks and transportation)…

I had an awesome time at Stagecoach! I love both pop and country music and I loved this country music festival. My favorite singer at Stagecoach 2015 was Cassadee Pope! I love how the energy is so high and how people wear cowboy boots. Such a fun festival that I would definitely recommend!

This festival is definitely an experience. So many great artists — both up and coming and top 40. No doubt that it’s pricey, but I’d likely spend the same, if not more, on tickets to see each of the artists that was at the event. Everyone is in a great mood (mainly due to all of the Bud Light) and there to have fun. The outfits are definitely entertaining as well.
2015 was my first year attending and I spent most of the first two days at the Mane stage. I’d suggest to other first timers to spend time at the two smaller stages — it’s actually a lot more fun as there is room to dance and you are up close to the artists so they can interact with you.

I LOOOVVVEEE STAGECOACH!
I mean, cowboy boots, daisy dukes, moonshine, whiskey, patriotic bikinis, and all my favourite country music stars? Hell yes! Oh, did I mention COWBOYS?(and cowboy booties in Wranglers) Cowboys for miiiillllleeessss ladies. (^_​~) after a few days of allowing my poor little liver to recover, it’s time for a review! I’m still chugging water, but hey. WORK HARD. PLAY HARD. And you always go hard at Stagecoach baby.
I’m a huge lover of country music, so this festival gets 5 stars from me. It’s windy (well, this year it was, but not too bad!) and HOT, drink water to stay hydrated. The weather in Indio literally is perfect for running around in anything skimpy, loose, or flowy. It’s not Coachella, so don’t go all hippie flower child lol.
There are tons of hotels and rental properties around the area if you’re staying with friends, or if you’ve got a large party going! Or you can do the RV or camping options if you’d like. Be advised, if your friends are staying in the RV Resort section for Stagecoach, you can’t get in there without a wristband. If you opt to stay local, rent bikes. It’s the smarter option, unless you’d prefer to walk 1.5 miles from your car. It’s great music, I’ve been doing this for ATLEAST 6 years and I love it more each time. GA is free, 10 years and under, but, if you’re planning on bringing your kids. when the sun goes down, you’re at your OWN RISK for anything that happens or is said to you because, people are drunk, get over it, you’re at a music festival. Shitty that it happens but reality is folks, when the sun goes down at Stagecoach, the party changes a bit. It’s literally a giant Honky Tonk party. And it gets real. But yes, there is a family area with a petting zoo and a craft area and the kids can have fun too. Most everyone is chill (hey, 98% of us have more alcohol than blood coursing through our veins during this weekend), and in a great mood! So yeah, you’ll get bad vibers, but almost every person I’ve encountered at 6 different Stagecoach Festivals are really happy, carefree people like our little group of 4! (^_​^) I mean, we are all there for the SAME THING. LOVING SOME GOOD OL’ COUNTRY MUSIC!!! Can’t be mad at that right?
Buy your wristbands in advance to avoid a sell-​out! VIP is the way to go.3 days for $ 1600 is a pretty good deal IMO for a couple. Plus, VIP perks, such as VIP PARKING right next to the gate. You cannot park here if you AREN’T sporting a flashy little VIP parking pass (*fun stagecoach factoid*). VIP parking is LIMITED and only avilable during checkout. And it has an alternate venue entrance! As Evangeline stated, with 50K+ in attendance, you’ll be grateful when you’re not standing in line for an hour to use the bathroom LOL. This year, wristbands didn’t sell out until maybe the week before for GA. Which was odd as they’re usually gone wicked fast! The line up for this year’s event is friggin amazeballs. Tim McGraw, Kasey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Parmalee, Jake Owen, Merle Haggard, Dierks Bentley, Cassadee Pope, Eli Young Band, Justin Moore, ZZ Top, Frankie Ballard, Jerrod Neimann, Maddie & Tae, Sara Evans, The Band Perry… the list goes ooonnn. and 3 stages to view different acts (Palomino, Mustang and Mane Stage) There’s tons of food vendors, merchandise booths, photo ops with props (like the giant boots). BBQ trucks and pits are the most common, I mean. have ya ever seen country folks WITHOUT BBQ? I didn’t think so. And during the BBQ competitions, the prices are sooo low because of how many competitors there are! They even have a few vegan booths (yes, y’all read that right. vegan at Stagecoach!). Plenty of beer/​alcohol vendors if you’re looking for a good buzz to keep you goin’! Each day requires you to get a new alcohol wristband as well (each day is a different color). Bring cash, and lots of it as many of the vendors are cash only. Some take card, but cash seemed to be the most popular option amongst festival goers. For us, cash was the way to go because we were buying alcohol and waters near 9 or 10 times a day. Yummy in my tummy with a drank in my hand at the Honky Tonk! Yeeeehaaawwww!
Some people had complaints about the VIP section, but we didn’t experience any issues. The security for the event is tight, but understandable. Yes, there is a wait in and out of the pit, but seriously folks look at how many people are here! I can’t complain, I did have the time of my life. Ain’t nobody able to ruin this past weekend (^_​^) There were a few rowdy, drunken ding-​dongs, but everyone else seemed to be there for a good time.
STAGECOACH 2015 WAS A 5 STAR GOOD TIME RODEO! Get drunk, come half naked, bring your cowboy boots and that red lipstick ladies lol that’s a Stagecoach staple! Had the time of my life with my other half and our friends, and plenty of memories made. Now I think I got me a converted Stagecoach lover now (^_​^) hears to STAGECOACH 2016 BABY!!!

This was my first family music festival with the babies! Best part 10 yr and younger are free GA. Yay me! If you’re going with a baby or kids I would definitely recommend the VIP parking for $ 100 because it saves a hella of a lot of hassle from what I saw. The parking is right up front by the entrance and not crowded to get in at all. You DO NOT have to have a VIP wristband to park in VIP. It’s right by the entrance and hardly a line to get in. I was able to order my VIP parking with my GA tickets, no hassle/​wait. (^_​~)
Parents please realize when you bring your babies to a festival that serves alcohol, you will no doubt run into some drunks. But its all in fun. Luckily the festival is huge and can give enough space for us, not a great amount of space but enough.
Any how, I love that they have a family section with a petting zoo, and craft area. My kids loved dancing to the music and mingling with the crowd. We can all agree to good music no matter what age whether you’re 1 or 99 years old lol.
The cons are those few insignificant people who yells out stuff so that family with children don’t feel welcomed. Such as «That baby is too young!» while we’re at the petting area. Is the petting area and crafts area made for you «special ignorant adults» I think not. Or when someone walks by with the group and say «PUT that baby to sleep, it’s bed time!» They obviously could not say it to my face, so who am I to listen to a coward that wants me to put my dancing baby to sleep at 6pm! GTFOH with your ignorant self and shove another beer down your throat so you put yourself to bed because my baby dances better than your two-​steppin self.
Luckily right away after the rudes walked by, other festival goers came up to us praising and interacting with my family and we had a blast. My baby gave grass off the floor to strangers while dancing. While others who walked by stopped to dance with and high five my babies (^_​^)
If you’re going without tiny ones I would definitely go VIP. But with Littles I need to stay away from the speakers for their little ear drums. Will probably consider it when Baby’s 5 – 7 years old or earlier if my baby would keep the headphones on. LOL. SAFETY 1ST. (^_​^)
This is an ALL AGES festival. Lets share and have fun. If something someone else does offends you like bringing a baby or drinking, you need to think twice about where you’re at, move on and have fun. Luckily this isnt as crazy as the music festivals that I’m used to going with just friends. With that said would definitely make this an annual thing for the kids (^_​^)

Howdy Ya’ll?! This was my first time at any music festival and I LOVED It!
My Boyfriend has gone in the past and said there’s only one way to go — VIP! Yes, it’s a costlier but so damn worth it. He had set alarms and on the day it went on sale, he scooped up 2 VIP tickets for $ 800/​pp. VIP allows you access to the front Pit section of the stage, private bars, food trucks, tables and couches! Now most people think, why buy VIP, think of the more than 50,000 people in attendance, and you’ll be happy you spent those extra hundreds. Anyhow, convenience was the priority and the private porta potties and private trailer potties were just as convenient.
If you plan to go, make sure you save up prior to the months going because it is 3 days of day drinking, eating, and pretty much burning through cash. There are a lot of vendors there that you might want to buy trinkets from but you also want to remember to have extra cash on you in case you start buying drinks for everyone around you! They do have ATMS. Keep in mind, the place is huge and there are so many people, so always make sure you have a game plan in case you get separated from your group.
The vibe is so friendly and everyone is super chill and happy.
Here are my TOP 5 favorite things about StageCoach!
1. Merle Haggard was AMAZING!
2. Biking from our rented house 1.5m away (seriously you want to get bikes, because even if you drive, you’ll have to walk another 1.5 just to get to check in. and the bike racks are just nestled right next to it. As evil as this may sound, it was so nice that at the end of the day to hop on a bike and roll past people that were walking in herds. Loved that!
3. The Texas Toast Cheese Food Truck in VIP!!! That Texas toast is no joke! It was savory, crunchy, cheese toast with swiss and mushroom inside. It was so good my bf, got the philly cheese steak. and the next day that’s all we wanted to eat again, so I got the portobello mushroom texas toast and he got the pulled pork. But he was so hungry and got another cheese toast and philly cheesesteak! Gotta love this truck!!!
4. Sunday’s amazing warm weather was the best. You can don on your daisy dukes and pretty much wear anything skimpy. The weather was insane and perfect for Indio.
5. The sign language interpreter that was off to the side. I googled the guy and found out his name is Jimmy Granger!!! Most people are watching the performers, while my bf and I observed everything else around it. Seriously, this guy is grooving to the music and was just as amazingly entertaining!!!

Day one complete mayhem, fixed it day 2 but the VIP amenities were a big disappointment. Adding the Pit overwhelmed the services 20 minutes to get a beer. Need to fix, never anyplace to sit.

This was my first time here and I had a blast! Everything was well organized and no problems what so ever! They had many options of food, activities, and merchandise to purchase. All the music was great and everyone had a great time! I would totally recommend this to anyone who loves Country music and wants to have a great time!

Good times. Dierks Bentley killed it this year! Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band were all awesome! From the Rock side Greg Allman and later George Thorogood and the Destroyers tore up the Palomino stage showing us why decades later Thorogood’s band are still the Undefeated, Undisputed Rock and Roll Champions of the world. Finally, you can’t forget Country’s Legendary Oak Ridge Boys! Richard Sterban is still melting woman’s hearts with his booming voice in his 70’s. I think I have vocal chord envy just listening to him.
As California’s Country Music Festival and my first Stagecoach, the festival is a perinnual draw and like many of the 50,000 fans in attendance I plan to be back for more! It bills itself as a family festival but with so many drunk cowboys and cowgirls bellowing drinking songs with greats of Yesterday and Stars of Today some salt and common sense are in order. Attendees should have their expectations in order and realize that a large festival will always have its share of haters and inappropriate behavior. The organizers do a good job policing the event and for the majority that is fine. However, there will always be some on either end of the bell curve who want to whine so just bring a smile and a good attitude to surely have a good time!
Logistics were handled quite well with more than ample parking, security, id check stands, and water tents. Water by the way is only $ 2 a 16 oz bottle which is a good deal compared to other festivals. They also had free tap water for those who carry their own containers. Waits for food and alcohol were comparable to other large shows and festivals.
Walking to VIP parking had some issues on Friday night like security making us go out the GA entrance but by Saturday that was fixed. However, exiting the parking lot was a nightmare on Saturday night. On Sunday night they added another vehicle exit but it was difficult to navigate the streets with the road closures and not really knowing which way security and the police were going to make you drive. I think that this can be remedied, though, if the organizers of the festival add a section for road closures and traffic information to the Stagecoach App.

Just got back. Skipped day three because of scheduling conflicts (wish I had gone — best artists of the weekend).
First time attending and loved it. I didn’t notice the extremely rowdy, drunken crowds, but I enjoyed the rowdy, happy, semi-​drunken crowds. Of course, there are always a percentage that overdo it and stumble around, but overall, the vast majority were very friendly, having a great time.
If you don’t expect to keep your blanketed space sacred, you’ll do fine. Just remember that people have to get out somehow, so leave ‘em some room and make friends as they pass by.
I enjoyed the «older» artists in the two secondary stages very much and appreciated the smaller crowds there. It was nice to get away from the main stage crowd for some breathing room.
The food was mediocre and overpriced. There were a couple really good places, but most of them are of the carnival/​food truck genre. It won’t kill you, but it’s not that tasty.
I don’t drink a lot, so I can’t really complain about the lack of alcohol in the very expensive mixed drinks. Plenty was snuck in to keep the over-​doers happy.
As far as getting there, I live out there, but not close enough to walk, and I certainly wasn’t crazy enough to even consider driving there and fight all the traffic in and out.
By far the smartest thing is to park at the park-​and-​ride stops (two of them) or leave from a hotel and take the shuttle. They were very efficient, timely, and not overly crowded (I left before the final act).
The crowd seemed to be widely mixed with the majority being between 25 – 45.
Overall, I’d say my hesitancy in attending was because of the perception that it would be a bunch of drunken, brawling adolescents. I found that not to be the case.
I will definitely make this a regular event. I don’t know if I would consider springing for the VIP tickets, except that someone posted that food, wine and beer was included. I’d have to check that out for next year. I spent too much on those things, so it may be a wash with VIP tickets, plus I’d actually get to see the performers.
The speaker setups worked wonderfully and the screens were more than adequate. Just make sure to park where you can see one. Unless you get the VIP tickets, you won’t be able to get close enough to really see the performers anyway.

Totally agree with two previous comments. Paid $ 800 for Corral Seating and it took 30 minutes to get back in to my seat after waiting in a 20 minute line at the VIP bar area. Absolute bull. Whatever Front Gate did differently this year sucks. Will NOT be coming back unless they guarantee a change. A big one. So disappointed!

Seriously? Horrible VIP treatment. Unorganized entrance and exit in between sets a kindergartner could organize in a safer faster manner! Why the hell do you check ID to LEAVE the pit??? Never again. You suck organizers.

$ 250 ticket.
$ 150 plane ticket.
$ 80 lodging.
I had high hopes for stagecoach. I spent MONTHS anticipating this life changing festival, after doing a happy dance in my cubicle and it finally came.
I was happily surprised at first at how well thought and organized it was. In the months leading up to the concert, I was happy with how well the organizers communicated with us, including the great packaging that the tickets came in. The directions were very clear and I followed them.
The venue itself was HUGE. Security was tight but understandable. We had to walk about a mile from the bus drop off to the stages. I loved that water was $ 2. In the desert sun, I needed LOTS! Tons of vendors were everywhere, all sorts of food and drinks, among other west wear vendors.
The acts were the big draw and they did great with getting some of the best names in country music. I loved all of the acts and wished that I could have seen more on the other stages. I don’t think that I’ll go back next year but I certainly enjoyed this trip.

Artists are great, it’s too hard and too hot to see it all, but as long as your with good company your gonna have a good time. Everything is a bit over priced. 9 $ beers, 13 $ for a small flat bread. There is a list of a million things you cannot bring in. Like bottle water, which sucks cause I do not want to fill my water bottle at the gross garden hose station. I get that they are trying to stop booze from being smuggled but I came to this event when it was more relaxed and there were just as many drunks. The nit picking is kinda lame.
The people watching and dressing up is top notch! Ca cowboys are too funny.
My tip would be to have a few cold ones before you enter.
Bring towels and chairs to mark a spot early, no one has ever messed with our stuff.
Bring lots of cash.
Have fun!

I went to Stagecoach for the first time last weekend and really enjoyed my time there. I don’t listen to country but I probably will start now! If you like country, I would definitely recommend going to Stagecoach.
VENUE: the polo fields are great. very spacious, organized and well kept
FESTIVAL: the artists will change from year to year. what you need to take note of is that the rules and layout can also change a bit. for example RV’s were allowed again this year but this year the RV owner had to be present. Also, do not go to Coachella and assume the layout will be the same. It is more than likely going to be different
PEOPLE: The majority here is white. Big surprise right? Im asian though and I didnt feel uncomfortable. There is a family feel here. The vibe is friendly and overall is just a good time. I don’t know about bringing your kids though. Some people did and I can imagine what a pain in the ass it would be.
PARKING: if you opt for regular parking, expect to walk a long distance. VIP parking will cost you $ 100 and is much closer. it’s up to you. Traffic can be a nightmare. If you stay until the end of the last set, you will most likely be stuck with everyone else trying to get out of the parking lot. Once you are out, you will be stuck because the cops block so many roads.
HOTEL: there are quite a few hotels within reasonable distance from here. you have to be careful though. stagecoach is a big event and many people find themselves in a struggle to find a place to stay