Coachella fined over $100,000 for breaking curfews
Coachella has reportedly been fined $117,000 (£94,494) for breaking its curfew on all three days of weekend one.
The fines come after the festival ran for over 20 minutes past its approved curfew on each day from April 14 to April 16, per Pitchfork. The festival ran 25 minutes past its curfew on Friday (April 14), 22 minutes on Saturday (April 15) and 25 minutes on Sunday (April 16).
Pitchfork reports that the fines are part of an agreement between Coachella organiser Goldenvoice and the city of Indio, California dating back to 2013. Per the agreement, going five minutes past the curfew will result in a $20,000 fine for each day, with every subsequent minute costing $1,000. The fines allegedly go towards the city’s General Fund, which is used for operating costs, public works and police and fire departments.
Frank Ocean‘s headlining set on Sunday ran 25 minutes past curfew, thanks in part to the singer starting his set an hour late. His set was one met with multiple controversies, beginning with its scheduled livestream being cancelled just hours before he was supposed to perform. After starting his set late, it was abruptly brought to an end after being told that he was out of time. It has also since been reported that several last-minute changes were made to his set after he allegedly injured his ankle during on-ground rehearsals. Read NME‘s coverage of Frank Ocean’s set from the grounds here.
Elsewhere during the festival, Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK put on astonishing history-making headlining sets, while Blink-182 performed their first show since reuniting with its original line-up.
Check back at NME for more reviews, news, interviews, photos and more from Coachella 2023.