Polo club in Indio, California
The Empire Polo Club, hosting theDesert Trip music festival in October 2016 33°40′47″N 116°14′14″W / 33.679811°N 116.237256°W /33.679811; -116.237256 Empire Polo Club is a 1,000-acre event venue inIndio, California , located in theCoachella Valley ofRiverside County , approximately 22 miles southeast ofPalm Springs .[ 1] [ 2] polo players, hosting international polo tournaments. Since 1993, the grounds have been leased out for events, including the annualCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival andStagecoach Festival in April.
The club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 within the city ofIndio , in theCoachella Valley andColorado Desert ofSouthern California .[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] Palm Springs and a 2 to 2-and-a-half hour drive fromdowntown Los Angeles orSan Diego .[ 3] [ 4]
The club was founded in 1987.[ 4] [ 7] West coast of the United States .[ 4] [ 7]
It hosts local, national and international matches and tournaments.[ 5] [ 7] USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic.[ 8] Gay Polo League .[ 9]
The grounds are owned by Alex Haagen III.[ 10] Anschutz Entertainment Group , the organizers of theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and theStagecoach Festival .[ 11] [ 12] [ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
AEG began hosting a wintersoccer tournament, named theCoachella Valley Invitational , in 2022. It is an annual preseason tournament forMajor League Soccer andNational Women's Soccer League teams that grew to 30,000 attendees by 2024.[ 16]
In June 2025, the club proposed a mixed-use development near the festival grounds, including homes, shops, restaurants, and general entertainment.[ 17] [ 18]
In October and November 2009, the club hostedPhish 's Festival 8. During the Halloween show that year, Phish performedthe Rolling Stones ' albumExile on Main Street
In October 2016, the club hostedDesert Trip ,[ 19] Bob Dylan , the Rolling Stones,Paul McCartney ,Neil Young ,Roger Waters , andThe Who .
In October 2023, thePower Trip took place at the club, featuringGuns N' Roses ,AC/DC ,Judas Priest ,Metallica ,Iron Maiden , andTool .[ 20]
^ Spangler, Todd (March 31, 2015)."YouTube to Live-Stream Coachella Music Fest for Free for 5th Year Running" .Variety Penske Media Corporation .Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. RetrievedApril 1, 2015 . ^ "Empire Polo Club" .United States Polo Association® . Retrieved2025-06-10 .^a b "Palm Springs, California: Empire Polo Club" . Archived fromthe original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved2015-02-03 .^a b c d Empire Polo Club Announces 2015 Winter Season Archived 2015-02-03 at theWayback Machine ,The Polo Magazine , 27 September 2014^a b Victoria Pelham,Polo season returns to Empire Polo Club field Archived 2021-02-17 at theWayback Machine ,The Desert Sun ^ Horace A. Laffaye,The Evolution of Polo , Jefferson, North Carolina: Farland & Co., 2009, p. 210 ^a b c Empire Polo Club: One of the largest polo clubs on the West Coast of USA Archived 2015-02-03 at theWayback Machine ,PoloLine , October 23, 2014^ England to play USA for the Townsend Cup tomorrow Archived 2015-02-03 at theWayback Machine ,Polo Times ^ Deborah Deutsch,Chip McKenney, Founder of the Gay Polo League, On How the League Was Born Archived 2015-02-03 at theWayback Machine ,Equestrian Quarterly , November 14, 2013 ^ Fessier, Bruce (April 9, 2015)."Coachella promoters working to improve festival" .The Desert Sun Gannett Company .Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. RetrievedApril 23, 2015 . ^ Alex Reisner (2008–2012)."Empire Polo" .Classic Rock Concerts . alex reisner. Archived fromthe original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved9 June 2012 . ^ Ray Waddell,Goldenvoice Buys 280 Acres of Land at Coachella Site Archived 2015-03-17 at theWayback Machine ,The Hollywood Reporter ^ Stars of indie, rock & pop take part in the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Archived 2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine ,The Daily Telegraph ^ Blueskye, Brian (October 27, 2021)."Coachella promoter Goldenvoice inks deal with Empire Polo Club for full operational control of venue, opening door for more events" The Desert Sun . RetrievedDecember 23, 2024 . ^ Cutchin, James B. (November 2, 2021)."Empire Polo Club will no longer host polo, staff laid off" The Desert Sun . RetrievedDecember 23, 2024 . ^ Belson, Ken (February 23, 2024)."Spring Training at Coachella: Can M.L.S. Cash In on Its Preseason?" The New York Times . RetrievedDecember 23, 2024 . ^ "Major Development Planned Near Coachella Festival Grounds in Indio" .www.nbcpalmsprings.com . Retrieved2025-06-10 .^ "The Desert Sun Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts" .subscribe.desertsun.com . Retrieved2025-06-10 .^ "Desert Trip website" .Archived from the original on 2017-01-09. Retrieved2017-01-12 .^ Grow, Kory (2023-03-30)."Power Trip Festival: Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses to Shake Coachella Grounds" .Rolling Stone .Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved2023-03-31 .
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