Official Coachella attendance released by Goldenvoice

[gaypalmsprings]

Goldenvoice says how many people go to Coachella, Stagecoach

Apr. 30, 2013 4:37 PM
Written by Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun


Festival producer Goldenvoice announced an attendance figure for its Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals this month that is larger than the population of Coachella Valley.

Goldenvoice said 90,000 people bought three-day passes to each of the two weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and 45,000 people bought three-day passes to last weekend’s Stagecoach country music festival. By Goldenvoice’s description, that represents an accumulated attendance of 675,000 clicks “through the turnstiles.”

The numbers don’t include complimentary passes or admission for workers, artists and their staffs. The city of Indio only allows 99,000 people per day for both festivals, based on a Special Events Agreement approved by the City Council on April 3. Both festivals are held at the Empire Polo Club.

The two Coachella weekends sold out quickly. The layaway passes Goldenvoice put on sale in June sold out in less than one week — seven months before the lineup was announced.

Stagecoach sold roughly 10,000 fewer passes than last year’s festival after Goldenvoice put a restriction on camping.

It not only prohibited car camping, it only allowed campers who owned their own RVs and wrote an essay that Goldenvoice approved based on why they wanted to attend Stagecoach. The restrictions were imposed, along with enforcement of a well-publicized code of conduct, after complaints of drunken and rowdy behavior at the 2012 festival. Goldenvoice officials not authorized to speak for attribution said the restriction was an experiment that is still to be evaluated.

Goldenvoice alternated Friday night headliners at Coachella for the first time in its 14-year history and neither act — the Stone Roses for Weekend 1 and Blur for Weekend 2 — attracted a crowd as big as Sunday’s top bill, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But Goldenvoice added a six tent to accommodate the increased international interest in electronic dance music.

Goldenvoice is permitted to continue presenting Coachella and Stagecoach at the Empire Polo Club through 2030.

[thelastgreatman]

Wow. I gotta say, I never would have imagined that you could accommodate another 30,000 people when I started going in 2006.

[shakermaker113]

90,000. damn.

[Darth_Bater]

I was under the impression that the total amount of people on the fields could be no more than 99,000. Meaning there were only 9000 workers/security/volunteers. Seems like that is not that many.

[thelastgreatman]

One worker for every ten people? Sounds about right.

[gaypalmsprings]

There must have been a lot of scalpers Weekend 2 who lost A LOT of money. No way was it as crowded as Weekend 1.

[algunz]

Holy shit. That's a lot of fucking people.

[shakermaker113]

There must have been a lot of scalpers Weekend 2 who lost A LOT of money. No way was it as crowded as Weekend 1.

scalpers and idiots who bought tickets just in case.

[shakermaker113]

that's a good point though. these aren't attendance figures, they are ticket sales figures.

[guedita]

Well, there have been some reports from people that went both weekend saying it felt just as crowded. But ~80,000 probably doesn't feel significantly less crowded than 90,000.

[thelastgreatman]

There must have been a lot of scalpers Weekend 2 who lost A LOT of money. No way was it as crowded as Weekend 1.

Friday W2 I'd agree with you, and I didn't go Sunday, but Saturday felt just as full.

[algunz]

I hadn't heard the essay thing. No wonder nobody was there.

[fatbastard]

Note to first timers, wait until the last minute to buy a ticket.

[bemerritt]

Note to first timers, wait until the last minute to buy a ticket.

That won't work next year when daft punk is n the bill

[guedita]

That won't work next year when daft punk is n the bill

There's every reason to believe that both weekends will sell out again, if for nothing but the inevitable ***DAFT PUNK ARE TOTALLY HAPPENING THIS YEAR*** phenomenon. Regardless of the fact that they won't be there.

[bemerritt]

Imagine the lolz if one of their collaborators are on the bill and they aren't. It will probably be worse than the kanye/phoenix hype combined.

[gaypalmsprings]

Don't forget Bowie & Timberlake.

[thelastgreatman]

Also, I don't know why so many of you jerkoffs keep hopping in to say "those are ticket sales, not attendance numbers." They're fucking attendance numbers. It's in the headline.

[bemerritt]

Also, I don't know why so many of you jerkoffs keep hopping in to say "those are ticket sales, not attendance numbers." They're fucking attendance numbers. It's in the headline.

So you think every purchased wristband made it to the polo fields?

[thelastgreatman]

I think that they don't base attendance figures on sales figures. You know those fucking things they have that scan you in and out? Do you think they don't use those to keep a count?

[koryp]

Also, I don't know why so many of you jerkoffs keep hopping in to say "those are ticket sales, not attendance numbers." They're fucking attendance numbers. It's in the headline.

You're standing behind the author of such great prose as "Goldenvoice says how many people went to Coachella, Stagecoach" and "But Goldenvoice added a six tent to accommodate the increased international interest in electronic dance music" for this challenge?

[CaseSensitive]

Also, I don't know why so many of you jerkoffs keep hopping in to say "those are ticket sales, not attendance numbers." They're fucking attendance numbers. It's in the headline.

Yeah, but this article is poorly written and it also states that the presale was in June. Feels thrown together, quoting people and stating they are not authorized to comment?

[bemerritt]

So those scanners counted to an even 90,000 each weekend is what you are saying

[CaseSensitive]

So those scanners counted to an even 90,000 each weekend is what you are saying

[Wonderbot]

I think that they don't base attendance figures on sales figures. You know those fucking things they have that scan you in and out? Do you think they don't use those to keep a count?

I'm sorry but no. Every time a festival sells out, they boast maximum capacity. There is absolutely no way possible that every single wristband made it onto the polo fields.

Yes they DO have the ability to tell exactly how many times a wristband entered on which day if at all and give accurate metrics of the actual number of people inside the festival by day and by half hour... but they're not releasing that information (those kinds of metrics are valuable).

Point is they're reporting wristband sales as attendance, or the number would be any number lower than 90,000

[thelastgreatman]

Or they're approximating, you jerkoffs.

[thelastgreatman]

"Should we say that 88,900 people showed up weekend one but that only 81,335 showed up Friday weekend two, 85,382 Saturday, and 83,758 Sunday? Oh wait, maybe we should just not be fucking assholes and say that roughly 90000 people showed up each weekend? Man, that would be a way less annoying press release."

[koryp]

Or we can appreciate it for the piece of poorly rewritten propaganda bullshit that passes for journalism and be glad they're co-opting the media to get the public ready for a May/June presale.

[algunz]

Why are you using quotations?

[koryp]

Nvrmnd