Head Trip arrives at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on 10 and 11 October 2026: two nights of electronic music on the same field that hosts Coachella and Stagecoach, from the same promoter, built on a premise neither of its neighbours shares. One stage.

There is no schedule to plan around. No walking out on a set to catch the end of another one, no two things you wanted at the same hour. Everybody hears the same music in the same order, from the first record of the afternoon to the last of the night. Electronic music rewards exactly that - a warm-up laying the pulse, an hour of build, a headliner landing on a crowd already moving - so the format reads less like a restriction than like the reason to go.

The booking is what makes it worth the drive. Calvin Harris closes Saturday and Swedish House Mafia closes Sunday, with Skrillex, FISHER and Chris Lake's Under Construction project, Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet and Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA filling the ground between festival-scale anthems and deeper club records.

One stageTwo nights · No clashes · One shared set list

The 2026 lineup

Saturday 10 October

  • Calvin Harris
  • Under Construction — FISHER + Chris Lake
  • Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet
  • Seth Troxler b2b Ben Sterling

Sunday 11 October

  • Swedish House Mafia
  • Skrillex
  • Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA
  • The Blessed Madonna
  • DJ Harvey

Across both days Floating Points brings the Sunflower Sound System — a dedicated listening setup rather than a second stage, and a reason to arrive early rather than turn up for the headliner.

Festivalgoers walking across a palm-lined lawn at sunset with the mountains and a lit ferris wheel ahead
October in the Coachella Valley: warm afternoons, cool nights, and the light the desert is photographed for.

What one stage actually changes

The single-stage format is the festival's quiet argument, and it shows up in the running order rather than in the marketing. Saturday sets Calvin Harris's catalogue against the collaborative noise of Under Construction, with Peggy Gou and Four Tet back to back in what is likely the weekend's most interesting hour and Seth Troxler and Ben Sterling laying a deeper foundation under it.

Sunday moves the other way. DJ Harvey's selector instincts and The Blessed Madonna's house records give way to Dom Dolla and KETTAMA, Skrillex raises the pressure, and Swedish House Mafia finishes at arena scale. Two nights, two different shapes, and no way to accidentally miss either.

Main stage with sculptural speaker towers and beams of light over a dense crowd
Sound, light and one crowd facing the same direction — the whole design of the thing.

Tickets

Head Trip is an 18-and-over event, which is worth knowing before you plan a group. All passes include general admission.

At the time of writing, the official site lists standard two-day GA as sold out, a two-day GA and shuttle package at $589, and Tier 2 VIP at $899. VIP adds an area beside the main stage with its own food and drink vendors, shaded seating, proper restrooms and bars you pay at. On-site car camping, preferred parking, lockers and standalone shuttle passes are sold separately. Prices and inventory move, so check the official passes page before you book travel around them.

If you are choosing one add-on, choose the shuttle. Traffic around the polo grounds on a festival weekend is its own event, and the official service runs from several points across the valley.

Where to stay

The venue is at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, at the eastern end of the valley; everything else runs west from there along Highway 111. La Quinta and Indio put you closest to the gates, then Indian Wells and Palm Desert, then Rancho Mirage. Palm Springs is twenty-two miles and about half an hour west — the midcentury architecture and the liveliest bars, and the longest drive back at two in the morning.

For a group, a house does what a block of hotel rooms cannot. Everyone is in one place at four in the morning when the sets are still being argued about. There is a kitchen for the day none of you wants to go out, a pool for the afternoon before the gates open, and somewhere to put people who are done before the rest. Two nights of a festival is really three days of a weekend, and the other two days are the ones a house is for.

  • Book early. October weekends in the valley fill well ahead of the date, and a festival weekend fills faster.
  • Settle transport before you arrive. Free day parking is first come, first served; shuttles, preferred parking and drop-off zones all take the guesswork out of it.
  • Pack for both temperatures. Warm afternoons, cool nights. A light layer after dark, and a locker so you are not carrying it.
  • Eat and hydrate before the first set. Sun, travel and hours of dancing add up faster than anyone plans for.
  • Leave a morning empty. A slow start by the pool is the difference between two good nights and one good night.

Houses near the polo grounds

Our Close to Festival Homes collection is the houses within an easy run of the Empire Polo Club — the ones that make a festival weekend a weekend rather than a commute.

See the collection

Questions people ask

When and where is Head Trip 2026?

Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, at the Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio, California.

Is it all ages?

No. The official site lists Head Trip as an 18+ event.

How many stages are there?

One. The festival is promoted as two nights on a single stage, so there is one schedule and no clashes.

Is there parking?

The official site lists free day parking, first come first served, with preferred parking and shuttles also available. Check the event map nearer the date for opening times.

Can I camp?

Yes, on-site car camping is sold separately from event passes. Current rules and availability are on the official site.

Lineup, pricing and policy details in this guide come from the official Head Trip website and can change without notice. Confirm anything you are making plans around. This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Head Trip, Goldenvoice or the Empire Polo Club.