Indio Waives $50K Fine After Swedish House Mafia Curfew Breach

Swedish House Mafia Closes Past Midnight

Swedish House Mafia wrapped their closing set at the inaugural Head Trip music festival just after 12:30 a.m., 30 minutes beyond the permitted midnight Sunday curfew. The EDM trio—comprising Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello—took the stage after lightning forecasts forced attendees to evacuate the Empire Polo Club grounds on Saturday night.

Permit Terms and Penalty Structure

A 2013 permit issued by Indio outlining the conditions for Goldenvoice to host Coachella at the Empire Polo Club, the same venue as Head Trip, requires performances to end by 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and midnight on Sundays. Under the agreement, Goldenvoice faces a $20,000 fine for each curfew violation, plus an additional $1,000 per minute beginning six minutes after curfew.

Weather Evacuations Trigger Waiver

The promoter would have been subject to a fine just shy of $50,000. City officials pointed to the weather-related disruption as the reason for declining to levy a fine, according to a statement from spokesperson Jessica Mediano. She told The Desert Sun that due to the weather-related circumstances impacting Head Trip on Saturday, the city will not be issuing a fine on Goldenvoice for Sunday.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel brought rain and the threat of lightning to Indio on October 10, forcing Goldenvoice to suspend performances at the Empire Polo Club around 9 p.m. and evacuate festivalgoers to their vehicles for shelter. The shutdown interrupted FISHER and Chris Lake's DJ set and ultimately canceled Calvin Harris' scheduled headlining performance, though he was added to Sunday's lineup and performed ahead of Swedish House Mafia. Head Trip was billed by Goldenvoice as a one-time-only festival.