The Stagecoach Festival is a three-day country music festival held annually in late April at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. Produced by Goldenvoice (a subsidiary of AEG Presents), it is the sister festival to Coachella and runs the weekend after Coachella's second weekend. Stagecoach is the highest-grossing country music festival in the world and is best suited for country, country rock, Americana, and southern rock artists. The 2026 edition ran April 24 to 26, headlined by Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, and Brothers Osborne.
How Stagecoach Works
Stagecoach takes place on the same site as Coachella, using the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. The festival runs three days (Friday through Sunday) and features three main stages: the Mane Stage (headliners), the Palomino Stage (mid-tier and Americana acts), and the SiriusXM Spotlight Stage (emerging artists). The layout is simpler than Coachella, with fewer stages and a tighter genre focus.
Attendance at Stagecoach has grown significantly. The 2026 edition drew approximately 80,000 attendees per day, up from roughly 75,000 in 2025. The festival has historically sold out in advance. The crowd skews younger than traditional country festivals, reflecting the surge in popularity of artists like Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and Jelly Roll.
Tickets go on sale through an advance sale system similar to Coachella. Pass types include General Admission, VIP, Corral (pit access), and various camping and parking packages. Prices for 2026 ranged from approximately $429 for a three-day GA pass to over $1,500 for VIP tiers. Camping options include car camping, tent camping, and RV spots, all located on the Empire Polo Grounds.
Goldenvoice announces the lineup each fall, typically in October or November. Headliners are usually country stars who can sell out the Mane Stage on name recognition. The Palomino Stage books Americana, outlaw country, and legacy acts, while the Spotlight Stage features up-and-coming artists.
2026 Edition
The 2026 Stagecoach Festival ran April 24 to 26 at the Empire Polo Field. Zach Bryan headlined Friday, Jelly Roll headlined Saturday, and Brothers Osborne closed out Sunday on the Mane Stage.
The Palomino Stage featured a mix of Americana and legacy country acts. Past Palomino Stage performers include Brandi Carlile, Willie Nelson, Margo Price, and Charley Crockett. The 2026 edition continued this tradition, booking artists who bridge the gap between mainstream country and the Americana/roots scene.
The festival also featured the SiriusXM Spotlight Stage, which programs emerging country artists. This stage has been a launching pad for artists who later moved up to the Palomino or Mane Stage in subsequent years.
Lineup History
Stagecoach has booked the biggest names in country music since its founding in 2007. Here is a look at headliners from recent editions:
| Year | Friday Headliner | Saturday Headliner | Sunday Headliner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cody Johnson | Lainey Wilson | Post Malone |
| 2025 | Zach Bryan | Jelly Roll | Luke Combs |
| 2024 | Eric Church | Miranda Lambert | Morgan Wallen |
| 2023 | Luke Bryan | Kane Brown | Chris Stapleton |
| 2022 | Carrie Underwood | Thomas Rhett | Luke Combs |
The 2026 edition ran April 24 to 26 with Cody Johnson headlining Friday, Lainey Wilson headlining Saturday, and Post Malone closing out Sunday on the Mane Stage. All three were first-time Stagecoach headliners. The supporting lineup included Bailey Zimmerman, Riley Green, Brooks and Dunn, Ella Langley, Red Clay Strays, Warren Zeiders, Nate Smith, Sam Barber, Gavin Adcock, Wyatt Flores, Hudson Westbrook, and Cameron Whitcomb. The festival also introduced a new Mustang Stage (presented by Boot Barn) for after-dark performances, with Journey, Pitbull, BigXthaPlug, and Counting Crows booked for late-night sets.
Amos Lee performed on the Palomino Stage during the 2026 edition, and his performance of "Crooked" was released as an official live video on his YouTube channel:
Diplo returned to Stagecoach in 2026 with a full late-night set at the Mustang Stage. His set, uploaded to his official YouTube channel, included country-influenced remixes and surprise guest appearances:
The 2025 edition ran April 25 to 27 with Zach Bryan headlining Friday, Jelly Roll headlining Saturday, and Luke Combs closing out Sunday. Jelly Roll's Saturday night set was his first festival headline performance, fulfilling a promise he made during his 2024 Stagecoach debut. He brought out surprise guests including mgk, Lana Del Rey, Shaboozey, Wiz Khalifa, T-Pain, and Brandon Lake. Lana Del Rey also performed her own set on Friday, performing material from her country-influenced album. The Palomino Stage featured late-night sets from Creed, Backstreet Boys, and T-Pain, while Sammy Hagar delivered a headline set on the Palomino Stage.
The 2024 edition ran April 26 to 28 with Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen headlining. Post Malone made his Stagecoach debut with a set of country cover songs, a performance that preceded his 2024 country album F-1 Trillion. Jelly Roll appeared as a special guest during Willie Nelson's closing singalong.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
Stagecoach is the biggest country music festival in the world by attendance and revenue. A Mane Stage slot puts you in front of 80,000 people per day. Even a Spotlight Stage slot reaches several thousand fans who are actively looking for new country artists to follow.
The festival's streaming impact is significant. Country music fans are among the most loyal streaming audiences, and a Stagecoach performance typically generates a measurable bump on Spotify and Apple Music. The festival also generates substantial social media content, with attendees posting clips across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.
For independent country and Americana artists, the path to a Stagecoach booking runs through Goldenvoice's country booking team. The team monitors streaming growth, social media engagement, radio traction, and touring history. Playing smaller country festivals and venue circuits (especially in Texas, Nashville, and California) can build the track record needed for a Stagecoach offer. Having a booking agent who works the country festival circuit is essential.
If you secure a slot, prepare for the scale. The Mane Stage holds 80,000 people. The Palomino Stage holds approximately 15,000. Even the Spotlight Stage draws several thousand. Use our streaming royalty calculator to project post-festival streaming revenue. Use our tour revenue calculator to plan routing around the festival, since Indio is within driving distance of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix.
Drawbacks and Things to Consider
Stagecoach is a country-only festival. If your music is not country, country rock, Americana, or southern rock, you will not fit the programming. The festival does not book pop, hip-hop, or electronic acts.
The festival shares its site with Coachella, which means you are playing on the same infrastructure that hosted 125,000 people the previous two weekends. The desert heat is intense, with daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit in late April. Sun exposure and hydration are serious concerns for performers and attendees alike.
Ticket prices are high, and the festival's VIP tiers cater to a wealthier demographic. This means the audience has significant spending power but also expects a polished, professional performance. An under-rehearsed set will stand out negatively.
The festival's proximity to Coachella means some attendees stay for both weekends, but the crowds are different. Stagecoach attendees are predominantly country music fans, not the genre-agnostic Coachella crowd. Tailor your set accordingly.
Related Resources
- Music Festival Strategy: Get Booked and Make It Count
- How to Book Your First Tour: Step-by-Step Guide
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income
- Tour Revenue Calculator
- Streaming Royalty Calculator
- Official Stagecoach Festival Website
Similar Festivals
- Coachella - The sister festival to Stagecoach, held on the same Empire Polo Field site across two weekends prior to Stagecoach
- CMA Fest - Four-day country music festival in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by the Country Music Association each June
- Bonnaroo - Four-day festival in Manchester, Tennessee, with a diverse lineup that includes country and Americana acts alongside rock and hip-hop
