Fans cheer for Luke Bryan as he performs on the Mane stage during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 28, 2012.
(Photo by Rodrigo Peña)
The Stagecoach Country Music Festival kicks off Friday at the Empire Polo Club in Indio and we’ll be on site with updates and more. Having just covered two weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, here are some tips for making the most out of Stagecoach.
Looking for set times and more? Check out our Stagecoach Festival site at the iGuide.
1. Stay hydrated. This weekend is supposed to see the temperatures hit triple digits in Indio. Seriously, drink water. Dehydration is serious business.
2. Bring sunscreen. It’s really bright out there and if you’re camping out at the Mane Stage all day, there’s not a lot of shade.
3. Bring a blanket and/or chairs. Low-sitting chairs are allowed at Stagecoach and like Goldenvoice boss Paul Tollett said, people homestead at the festival. If you want to get a good spot at the Mane Stage, get there early and be prepared to set up each day. Stagecoach isn’t like Coachella where most people wander from stage to stage and you can get a prime spot up front.
4. Check out the Palomino and Mustang Stages in addition to the Mane Stage. They offer more shade and music. Plus, they will be the stages hosting the three actors (Jeff Bridges, John C. Reilly and Katey Sagal) who are on the bill this year.
5. Bring a bandana. You might have heard about the gusting winds that blew sand and dust around the Empire Polo Club to end the first Coachella weekend this year. Bandanas are good to block the dust on the walks to and from your car and I also recommend using them to stay cool. Pour cold water on it and place it on the back of your neck to stay cool.
6. Kids 10 and younger get into the general admission areas for free. During the day the Half-Pint Hootenanny is a place to entertain them. Also, you can get them tagged just in case they get lost.
7. Food options at the festival include a chili competition on Friday and barbecue competitions Saturday and Sunday. In the past, barbecue teams have offered smaller tastes of their wares for less cash.
8. Bring cash. Food vendors don’t take plastic. There will be ATMs on site.
9. Bring a flashlight or a headlamp. Trying to navigate your way through the field at night? You might want to consider a flashlight.
10. Leave the Slip-N-Slide at home. Stagecoach is trying to reign in the partying this year. No Slip-N-Slides allowed.
As we get ready to cover the Stagecoach Country Music Festival this year, we’ll be using the #PEStagecoach hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. If you want to send us photos, musings and more, we’ll give you some love here in the Audio File blog. Just use the hashtag!
For more Stagecoach news, photos, interviews and information, visit the iGuide Stagecoach page. If you want to follow me on social media, I’m at @vanessafranko on Twitter, the Audio File on Facebook and on Google+.