INDIO, Calif. — Lightning forced organizers to evacuate the Head Trip music festival on Saturday night and cancel the rest of its first day, before headliner Calvin Harris could take the stage. The venue was cleared around 9 p.m. Pacific, and organizers called off the remaining performances about half an hour later, Billboard reported.
The one-time dance festival at the Empire Polo Club, from the promoter behind Coachella and Stagecoach, was cut off during the Under Construction set by Fisher and Chris Lake. A message on the stage screens said there was “approaching severe weather” and the show was suspended. Festivalgoers were told to return to their cars and camps, NBC Los Angeles reported. The festival app later said the show would not resume because of continued lightning.
The National Weather Service had warned of possible cloud-to-ground lightning in the area from 9:30 to 11 p.m., and campers were advised to keep sheltering in their vehicles. Organizers had already tried to dodge the storm: they pushed back the Saturday start and moved Harris’s set earlier, with an 11 p.m. finish, NBC Palm Springs reported. Rain from Rachel was moving through Southern California at the time.
Sunday’s status had not been announced in the reports available early Sunday. The lineup that day is DJ Harvey, The Blessed Madonna, Dom Dolla and Kettama, Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia, with Apple Music carrying the livestream. Forecasts called for the heaviest rain from midnight to noon Sunday, easing by evening. Organizers did not say whether Harris would be rescheduled or what Saturday ticket holders could expect, so check Head Trip’s app and official channels for updates.
