Coachella 2023: Festival fined more than $100,000 for breaching curfews
Festival organisers have reportedly been fined $117,000 (£94,494) for breaking its curfew rules on all three days of the first weekend of Coachella. The festival ran for over 20 minutes past curfew each day between April 14th and 16th.
On Friday, April 14th, the curfew was overshot by 25 minutes, on Saturday for 22 minutes and 25 minutes on Sunday. The fines are reportedly part of a 2013 agreement between the festival’s organisers, Goldenvoice, and the city of Indio, California.
The agreement states that surpassing the curfew by five minutes will result in a $20,000 fine for each day, with every subsequent minute racking up a $1,000 debt. The money raised by the fines is allegedly channelled into Indio’s General Fund, which is used for operating costs, public works and police and fire departments.
On Sunday, the festival overshot its curfew by 25 minutes during Frank Ocean’s set. However, the singer started his set one hour later than scheduled, leaving his fans outraged when he blamed the curfew for the dissatisfying stage time. It has since been reported that last-minute changes were made to his set following an alleged ankle injury during rehearsals.
Watch some highlights from the festival so far below.
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