The return of Stagecoach Country Music Festival came with a decrease in arrests. Photo via @Stagecoach Twitter
The return of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival after a two-year hiatus came with a decrease in arrest numbers, authorities said Monday.
According to statistics released by the Indio Police Department, there was a 12% decrease in arrests and a 66% decrease in citations compared to 2019’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival. The festival was canceled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police reported a total of 125 arrests this past weekend, the majority for public intoxication, and 64 for alleged use of false identification. A total of 63 citations were issued, mostly for unlawful use of a handicap-parking placard.
No major concert-related criminal activity was reported by police.
The music festival’s decrease in criminal activity compared to pre-pandemic events was in contrast to the recent Coachella Music & Arts Festival — which saw a 13% increase in arrests and a 41% increase in citations in its first weekend, compared to 2019.
Stagecoach will be repeated next weekend, beginning Friday.
City News Service contributed to this article.