Empire Polo Club is the 1,000-acre former polo grounds in Indio, California, that became the permanent home of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach country festival. What began in 1987 as a working polo facility with a dozen grass fields is now one of the most recognized event sites in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans to the Coachella Valley desert every spring.
This guide answers the questions people actually search for about the property: exactly where it sits in Indio, how big it is, how many people it holds, what “polo grounds” and “polo fields” mean at this address today, and how a private polo club ended up hosting some of the biggest festivals in America.
Quick Answer
Empire Polo Club is a 1,000-acre former polo facility at 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio, CA 92201, in the Coachella Valley about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs. It’s the site of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (since 1999) and the Stagecoach country festival (since 2007), with festival capacity of about 125,000 attendees per day across the grounds’ dozen former polo fields. Outside of festival dates, the club’s events division books private functions ranging from small gatherings of around 15 guests up to large productions exceeding 90,000.
Where Is Empire Polo Club? (Indio, CA Location)
Empire Polo Club sits at 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio, CA 92201, in Riverside County’s Coachella Valley. It’s roughly 25 miles, about a 30-minute drive, southeast of Palm Springs, and around two to two and a half hours from Los Angeles or San Diego.
The grounds aren’t a walk-up attraction. Outside of ticketed Coachella and Stagecoach weekends, access is limited to private events booked directly through the venue, so there’s no general public admission on a typical day. The property sits just off Avenue 51 between Madison Street and Monroe Street, a few minutes’ drive from downtown Indio.
Empire Polo Club, Indio California: Overview
Location: 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio, CA 92201, in the Coachella Valley, Riverside County. Founded: 1987, by developer Alex Haagen III. Size: about 1,000 acres, including a dozen original grass polo fields. Best known for: the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (since 1999) and Stagecoach (since 2007). Festival capacity: about 125,000 attendees per day. Current operator: Goldenvoice, which holds a 28-year lease for the festival grounds signed in 2021.
What Is Empire Polo Club’s Capacity?
The property spans about 1,000 acres in total, including the dozen fields originally built for polo. Each spring, Coachella’s footprint expands well beyond those core fields to cover camping and parking across a large share of that acreage.
For the festival itself, capacity runs at about 125,000 attendees per day, with both Coachella weekends now routinely selling out at that level — that’s the figure most people mean by “Empire Polo Club capacity.” Outside of festival season, the venue’s own events division books everything from small private gatherings of around 15 guests up to large-scale productions exceeding 90,000, according to Empire Polo Club’s official events site.
Empire Polo Club and the Coachella Polo Fields
When people search for “Coachella polo fields” or “polo grounds Coachella,” they mean this property. Entrepreneur Alex Haagen III founded Empire Polo Club in 1987, and it grew into one of the largest polo clubs on the West Coast, with a dozen grass fields hosting international tournaments through the 1990s and 2000s. The Coachella festival takes its name from the valley the club sits in, not the other way around.
The link to music started almost by accident. In November 1993, Pearl Jam played to nearly 25,000 fans at the club while boycotting Ticketmaster-controlled venues, proving the polo fields could handle a major concert crowd. That show helped convince promoter Goldenvoice to stage the first Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on the same grounds in 1999.
What Were the Original Indio Polo Fields Like?
At its peak as a working club, the Indio property held a dozen grass polo fields plus an indoor arena and practice tracks, making it one of the largest polo operations on the West Coast. Local and international tournaments ran there through the 1990s and 2000s, alongside the growing festival business each spring.
That’s different from Empire Polo Club’s polo operation today. After the Indio grounds shifted fully to festival and private-event use, the organization moved its active polo program to Calhoun Ranch, a separate, private facility nearby. The famous Indio site people associate with Coachella no longer hosts organized polo matches.
From Polo Fields to Festival Grounds
For its first several years, Empire Polo Club functioned as intended: a working club hosting matches and tournaments in the desert outside Palm Springs. Pearl Jam’s 1993 concert changed that trajectory, and Goldenvoice’s 1999 Coachella debut set the site on a new path. After a shaky start, Coachella returned annually and grew steadily, eventually reaching its current daily capacity of around 125,000 fans across two sold-out weekends each spring.
A Home for Coachella, Stagecoach, and More
In 2007, Goldenvoice added the Stagecoach country music festival the weekend after Coachella, which first sold out in 2012 with about 55,000 attendees. The grounds have also hosted one-off events, including Phish’s Festival 8 in 2009, 2016’s Desert Trip with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Bob Dylan, and 2023’s Power Trip, a hard rock and metal festival headlined by Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Tool.
The club’s traditional polo operations wound down as festival business grew; the Indio polo fields closed to organized matches in November 2021 after Goldenvoice secured a 28-year lease for full operational control of the grounds. Since 2022, the site has also hosted the Coachella Valley Invitational, a preseason soccer tournament for MLS and NWSL clubs that drew crowds cited at around 30,000 by 2024 — proof the grounds now do far more than music.
What’s Next for Empire Polo Club
In June 2025, developers unveiled early plans for a mixed-use project on roughly 218 acres near the polo grounds, potentially adding homes, retail, dining, and a new sports venue to the surrounding area. Because Goldenvoice holds a 28-year lease for the festival grounds themselves, Coachella and Stagecoach are expected to keep operating on the same site throughout any nearby development.
Planning a Visit to Empire Polo Club
Because the grounds only open for ticketed festivals and private bookings, your entry point depends on why you’re visiting. For Coachella or Stagecoach dates, camping options, and ticket tiers, check the official Coachella site, run by Goldenvoice, which also produces Stagecoach.
If you’re planning a wedding, corporate event, or private party on the grounds instead, book through the official Empire Polo Club Events site, which lists the property’s dedicated event spaces and booking process.
Empire Polo Club FAQs
Is Empire Polo Club still used for polo matches?
Not at the famous Indio site. The polo fields there closed to organized matches in November 2021 after Goldenvoice took full operational control under a 28-year lease. Empire Polo Club’s active polo program now operates from Calhoun Ranch, a separate private facility nearby.
How many people can Empire Polo Club hold during Coachella?
About 125,000 attendees per day, spread across two sold-out weekends each spring — that’s the figure most people mean by “Empire Polo Club capacity.”
Where exactly is Empire Polo Club located?
At 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio, CA 92201, in the Coachella Valley, roughly 25 miles (about a 30-minute drive) southeast of Palm Springs.
How big is Empire Polo Club?
The property spans about 1,000 acres, including the dozen grass fields originally built for polo. Coachella’s footprint expands across a large share of that acreage each spring for stages, camping, and parking.
What’s the difference between the “polo grounds” and the “Coachella polo fields”?
They’re the same property. “Coachella polo fields,” “polo grounds Coachella,” and “Empire Polo Club” all refer to this 1,000-acre site in Indio — the polo name stuck because the club operated there for over three decades before the festivals began.
Can I visit Empire Polo Club without a festival ticket?
Only for private events. The grounds aren’t open for general public access outside of ticketed Coachella and Stagecoach weekends; visits otherwise go through the venue’s private-events booking process.
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