EDM Festival News
Indio Waives Head Trip’s Nearly $50,000 Curfew Fine
Indio waives Head Trip’s nearly $50,000 curfew fine after weather delays pushed Swedish House Mafia past midnight at Empire Polo Club
Head Trip brought a one-time dance festival to Empire Polo Club on October 10–11, with Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, FISHER, Chris Lake, Dom Dolla and KETTAMA among the names across the weekend. Saturday night ended much earlier than planned after severe weather forced Goldenvoice to suspend the event. The disruption changed Sunday’s schedule and eventually left the promoter facing a curfew fine that Indio has now chosen not to issue.
Saturday’s Weather Changed The Final Day
A lightning alert interrupted FISHER and Chris Lake during their Under Construction performance at around 9 p.m., bringing Saturday to an early end. Calvin Harris was still scheduled to headline later that night, so his performance could no longer go ahead as planned.
With only Sunday remaining, Goldenvoice added Calvin Harris to the final day at around 9:10 p.m. Swedish House Mafia remained in the closing slot at 11 p.m., while several earlier set times also changed to accommodate the revised schedule.
Swedish House Mafia Played Beyond Midnight
The later schedule meant Swedish House Mafia’s closing performance continued beyond Indio’s Sunday curfew. KESQ reported that the trio finished at around 12:30 a.m., roughly half an hour after the permitted closing time.
At Empire Polo Club, Goldenvoice’s permit requires performances to finish by 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and by midnight on Sundays. Going more than five minutes past curfew can trigger a $20,000 fine. Another $1,000 can then be added for every additional minute. Based on the reported finish time, Goldenvoice could have faced a penalty of approximately $48,000.
Indio Chose Not To Issue The Fine
When deciding whether to apply the penalty, the City of Indio pointed to the severe weather that had ended Saturday early. That disruption had forced Goldenvoice to alter Sunday’s timings so Calvin Harris could still perform during the one-time festival.
The decision differs from previous curfew violations at Empire Polo Club, where Goldenvoice has paid fines when other events exceeded the permitted closing time. This time, Indio accepted the circumstances behind the delay and waived the nearly $50,000 penalty.
