Head Trip has wrapped at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, and it was not the weekend anyone planned. The October 10–11 festival lost the end of its first night to lightning, then came back on Sunday with Calvin Harris added to a closing run that also had Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia. Here is what happened, what stood out, and where things stand on a return.

October 10–11, 2026Two days · One main stage · Empire Polo Club, Indio

Saturday: the night the lights went out

Weather from Tropical Storm Rachel reached the valley on Saturday evening. Around 9:00 p.m., with FISHER and Chris Lake on stage as Under Construction, the festival stopped the show and told the crowd to leave and take shelter. The music cut out during Lake’s own “Turn Off the Lights,” a moment fans were retelling before they had made it back to their cars.

Less than half an hour later, organizers confirmed that Saturday would not resume because of continued lightning. Calvin Harris, the night’s headliner, never took the stage.

Sunday: Calvin Harris returns and the lineup shifts

By Sunday morning the festival had added Harris to the day-two bill, pushing the earlier sets back to make room. There was one more change: Peggy Gou stepped in for The Blessed Madonna, who had to cancel. Gou, who had played Saturday back to back with Four Tet, became the only artist to play the main stage on both days.

The day ran DJ Harvey, Peggy Gou, Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA, Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia — three of the biggest names of the big-room EDM years in a row, which Billboard called “accidentally the craziest one-night lineup in EDM history.” It played out on a field still wet and muddy from Saturday’s storm.

Swedish House Mafia closed it out

Swedish House Mafia had the last set of the weekend and leaned into the catalogue: “Greyhound,” “Miami 2 Ibiza” and “Don’t You Worry Child,” with reworked versions and mashups between them, as Coachella Valley Weekly recounted. After the way Saturday ended, the festival got the finale its lineup had promised.

So Head Trip 2026 was not cancelled. It was a two-day festival that lost most of one night and made up for it on the next.

Beyond the main stage: the Sunflower Sound System

Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System ran alongside the main stage, a separate listening space making its U.S. debut. AXS describes it as a custom dome lined with mycelium acoustic panels and commissioned tapestries. It was the other half of Head Trip’s idea: the biggest names on one stage, and a room built for listening a short walk away.

Festivalgoers walking across a palm-lined lawn at sunset with the mountains and a lit ferris wheel ahead
October on the polo grounds: warm afternoons, cool nights, and this light.

Will Head Trip return in 2027?

Head Trip was promoted as a one-time-only festival, and as of October 13, 2026 there is no announcement of another edition. If that changes, the official Head Trip website is where it will appear first.

What’s next at the Empire Polo Club

The polo grounds are not quiet for long. Coachella 2027 is set for two weekends, April 9–11 and April 16–18, with the lineup usually announced between October and the end of the year. Stagecoach follows on the same field the next weekend; our Stagecoach 2027 guide has the details.

Spring festival weekends book up well ahead, and the houses closest to the gates go first. For a group, a house does what a block of hotel rooms cannot: everyone in one place after the last set, a pool for the afternoon before the gates open, and a slow morning the day after.

Planning your next music weekend

Head Trip may have been a one-off, but a music weekend in the desert does not have to be. The concerts and shows calendar lists what is on at Acrisure Arena, The Show at Agua Caliente, Fantasy Springs and Pappy & Harriet’s for your dates.

  • Stay close to the gates. For the polo grounds, La Quinta and Indio are the shortest trip home. Check the route from the house you are looking at, not a valley-wide estimate. For a group that wants El Paseo too, Palm Desert vacation rentals are a short drive further.
  • Plan the ride back first. Decide how the group gets home before anyone heads out.
  • Watch the forecast. Head Trip is the reminder. Our Palm Springs weather guide covers the season; the current forecast and organizer alerts cover the day.
  • Arrive to a stocked kitchen. Our concierge team can arrange grocery pre-stocking or a private chef, so the weekend starts at the pool rather than the supermarket.

Questions people ask

When and where was Head Trip 2026?

October 10–11, 2026, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California — the same grounds as Coachella and Stagecoach.

Was Head Trip 2026 cancelled?

Only the rest of Saturday night, because of lightning from Tropical Storm Rachel. The festival resumed on Sunday and ran to the end.

Did Calvin Harris play?

Yes. His Saturday set was lost to the weather, and he was added to Sunday, playing before Swedish House Mafia.

Who replaced The Blessed Madonna?

Peggy Gou, who had already played Saturday back to back with Four Tet, took The Blessed Madonna’s Sunday slot.

Is there a Head Trip 2027?

Not as of October 13, 2026. It was billed as a one-time event and no return has been announced.

How do I get back something I lost at Head Trip?

Through the official Head Trip Lost & Found, where you can search the inventory and file a claim. The organizer verifies ownership before arranging a return, and shipping is at the owner’s cost.

Houses near the polo grounds

Our Close to Festival Homes are the houses within an easy run of the Empire Polo Club — the ones that make Coachella and Stagecoach weekends a stay rather than a commute.

See the collection

Recap compiled October 13, 2026 from post-event reporting by ABC7, KESQ, Billboard and Coachella Valley Weekly, and from the official Head Trip website. This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Head Trip, Goldenvoice or the Empire Polo Club.