Okay, so first let me just be clear: this is not a post about Stagecoach formally announcing they are pulling a Coachella on the country music festival and expanding it to two weekends. But, for anyone who saw the huge crowds at Day One of Stagecoach will tell you, it would probably work.
So let’s consider for a second: should Goldenvoice expand the Spring Festival Season to four total weekends in the Spring? First let’s look at the reasons they should:
- It would probably work: The Stagecoach Festival has gotten very, very popular over the years. Expanding to two weekends would not only give more fans a chance to attend, but also give double the amount of camping and RV spaces which are always in high demand.
- Beer money: I don’t know how much money the festival makes in beer sales, but that alone could probably pay the majority of costs for the festival. Another weekend of Stagecoach would mean double the beer sales.
- Everything is already set up: All the infrastructure is already in place, so the profit-margin on a second weekend would be much higher than just one.
- Plenty of people would probably go to both weekends: For many, just the thought of another weekend of partying might encourage plenty to head out for both weekends because who needs their liver anyway?
- The local revenue: Another chance to collect hotel, restaurant, and retail money would probably go over well with most Palm Springs Area businesses and a 4th weekend of fests would bring in more tax dollars to Indio.
- I don’t think Desert Trip is coming back: This sucks, because that festival was phenomenal, but I really don’t see it happening again. Perhaps it’s time to put those potential resources into something else?
Now some reasons against:
- The heat: Stagecoach is always hot af. This year is no exception. Expanding the fest into May could be another scorching hot weekend. Of course, an alternative would be to move Coachella to a weekend early and, well, I don’t see why they couldn’t work.
- The snowbirds: I am sure they wouldn’t like this because it’s not about them.
- The grass (or lack thereof): The Empire Polo Fields already have taken a beating by the third weekend. Not sure what the state of affairs would be like if there was a fourth.
- Those who live nearby the venue: They already put up with a lot of noise, traffic, etc. over three weekends. Would it be fair to ask them to put up with a fourth?
Okay, so I am no expert but it looks like the positives outweigh the negatives. Then again, I also don’t run Goldenvoice, so there’s that.
What do you think? Would a second weekend of Stagecoach work? Let’s discuss in the comments.
