Music festivals in the Coachella Valley saw a rise in arrests and citations this year compared to 2024. Law enforcement reported increases in arrests for both the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Music Festival, which take place annually in Indio.
At the two-weekend Coachella event, held April 11-13 and April 18-20, police made 223 arrests. This total represents a 16.5 percent increase from the 193 arrests recorded during the festival in 2024.
Reasons for arrests during Coachella included violations related to drug and alcohol intoxication, possession of illegal drugs, property crimes such as theft and the use of false identification.
Citations issued during Coachella for unlawful use of disabled person parking placards also rose. A total of 162 such citations were issued this year, compared to 136 in 2024. The increase in placard violations was 19 percent. Information on arrests and citations for both festivals was detailed in a report covering the events.
Following Coachella, the Stagecoach festival occurred from April 25-27. Indio Police Department records show 151 arrests were made during the country music event.
This represents a 20 percent increase from the 124 arrests made during Stagecoach in 2024.
Of the 151 arrests at Stagecoach, 54 were for possessing a fake form of identification. Three arrests were made for intoxication and three for drug possession.
Police categorized 91 arrests at Stagecoach under "other" violations. These incidents included minors in possession or consuming alcohol, trespassing, battery and resisting arrest, according to Abe Plata, Public Information Officer for the Indio Police Department. A report on Stagecoach activity confirmed the increase in arrests.
Citations at Stagecoach also increased. Police issued 86 citations this year, primarily for unlawful use of disabled person placards. That number is up from 83 citations issued in 2024, an increase of approximately 3.6 percent. The information was part of a report on the Stagecoach event.