An emergency evacuation order issued at 19:46 PST on Saturday brought the second day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival to an abrupt halt in Indio, California, when organisers directed approximately 75,000 to 80,000 attendees to clear the Empire Polo Club grounds due to high winds.
The festival resumed roughly 90 minutes later, but the disruption left several acts cancelled, the headliner delayed and thousands of fans unable to return in time, sparking widespread anger on social media.
The evacuation notice was sent via the Stagecoach app and instructed attendees to move to their vehicles or protected areas outside the event site immediately.
Many festivalgoers were directed to leave on foot or by shuttle, a process that, given the size of the Empire Polo Club grounds and the volume of the crowd, made re-entry impractical for a significant portion of those in attendance once the all-clear was issued.
Which acts were cancelled and what was delayed
The disruption had immediate consequences for the evening’s lineup. Journey and Riley Green had their sets cancelled entirely, while Gavin Adcock and Pitbull faced delays to their scheduled start times, as reported by Billboard and Variety.
Headliner Lainey Wilson’s Mane Stage performance was pushed back by approximately one hour to 22:30 PST to accommodate the rescheduled programme.
Fans who had left the grounds before the evacuation order was lifted took to social media to vent their frustration.
“How to NOT run a festival 101,” one attendee wrote online, in a sentiment shared widely after news of the cancellations and the rapid reversal of the evacuation order spread.
The decision to lift the order so quickly, while organisers had already directed large numbers of people off the site, drew the sharpest criticism from those who found themselves on the wrong side of the gates when performances resumed.
A family moment from earlier in the evening
Before the evacuation disrupted the night’s programme, Noah Cyrus had brought her father Billy Ray Cyrus and brother Braison Cyrus on stage during her set for a surprise performance of the family song On Our Way Along.
The appearance drew attention as a rare public moment of closeness within the Cyrus family, coming against a backdrop of several years of tension, including a publicly reported estrangement between Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus.
No comment on the performance was made by Billy Ray or Braison Cyrus at the time of publishing.
What comes next for Stagecoach
The festival is scheduled to continue on Sunday, 26 April 2026, with organisers yet to confirm publicly whether any arrangement will be made for the large number of attendees who were unable to re-enter the grounds after the evacuation.
Whether Saturday’s disruption affects Sunday’s attendance or programme remains to be seen.
