This Head Trip festival recap starts with a weather alert. Goldenvoice’s one time dance festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, lost most of its opening night on Saturday, October 10, when lightning forced organizers to clear the field before headliner Calvin Harris could play. Twenty four hours later, Harris was slotted in ahead of Swedish House Mafia, and the Swedes closed the weekend on Sunday, October 11, on a stage that was built for just two nights.
Saturday: the night lightning shut down Head Trip
Trouble was forecast before the gates opened. NBC Palm Springs reported that organizers pushed Saturday’s opening from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. because of lightning concerns, moved Harris’s set earlier and set an 11 p.m. finish. The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel were moving through Southern California, and NBC Los Angeles described rain hitting parts of the region that evening.
It was not enough. At around 9 p.m., a lightning alert cut off Under Construction, the joint show from Fisher and Chris Lake, in the middle of their set, according to We Rave You and KESQ. NBC Los Angeles reported that the stage screens read “There is approaching severe weather. The show is suspended,” and attendees told the station they were sent back to their cars and campsites. ABC7 Los Angeles reported that the instruction to take shelter came over both the screens and the loudspeakers.
The rest of the night was called off and Harris never went on. KESQ quoted the Indio Police Department saying the decision was made “under unified command” with the festival and “out of an abundance of caution due to weather conditions.” Earlier in the day, the bill had included Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet and Seth Troxler b2b Ben Sterling, both listed on the festival’s official Saturday lineup.
Sunday: Calvin Harris gets his set back
By Sunday afternoon, Goldenvoice had rebuilt the schedule. KESQ reported that Harris was added at 9:10 p.m., with Swedish House Mafia keeping the 11 p.m. closing slot, and that earlier sets moved by roughly 30 minutes or more to make room. We Rave You and Groove Cartel published the same 9:10 to 10:40 p.m. window for Harris.
The Scottish producer used the slot for a hit heavy run. The festival’s official Instagram posted clips captioned “Calvin’s in Control” and a full crowd shot of the field during “How Deep Is Your Love,” which drew around 59,000 likes by Monday morning.
Skrillex, Dom Dolla and the rest of the Sunday bill
Sunday opened with DJ Harvey, followed later by Dom Dolla and Kettama going back to back. Skrillex followed with a set that started late and did without the video screens, according to live festival coverage syndicated on Yahoo. Groove Cartel added that he leaned on pyrotechnics and strobes instead of visuals. Published start times for Skrillex differ: We Rave You’s Sunday timetable listed 7:35 p.m., while Groove Cartel put his set at 8:40 p.m., which fits the reported delays.
One change remains unconfirmed. Groove Cartel reported that The Blessed Madonna was unable to perform and that Peggy Gou filled the slot. We could not verify that with a second source, and neither the artist nor Goldenvoice had commented publicly in the coverage we reviewed.
Away from the main stage, Floating Points ran his Sunflower Sound System all weekend, with Four Tet, Ben UFO, Avalon Emerson, and Octo Octa and Eris Drew among the names on the Sunday schedule published by We Rave You.
Swedish House Mafia close the one time stage
Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso went on at 11 p.m. According to a setlist published by Groove Cartel, they opened with “Miami 2 Ibiza” and moved through “Greyhound,” “Antidote,” a “Don’t You Worry Child” and “Mr. Brightside” mashup, Axwell Λ Ingrosso’s “More Than You Know,” and “Heaven Takes You Home,” before ending with “Happiness Is So Sad” featuring Lykke Li. Clips posted by the festival’s official account confirm “Heaven Takes You Home” and “More Than You Know” were played.
Why the Head Trip weekend matters
Head Trip was Goldenvoice’s test of a dance focused event on the Coachella grounds, built around a single stage designed by Romain Pissenem so no sets overlapped. KESQ reported before the weekend that Indio expected about 70,000 people. The format put house heavy billing, from Gou and Four Tet to Dom Dolla and Kettama, in front of the kind of crowd usually reserved for pop headliners, and the full weekend was streamed on Apple Music, according to the festival’s own posts.
The weather also exposed the risk of a two night, no rain date event in the desert. Losing a headliner on night one could have sunk the brand’s first impression. Fitting Harris into Sunday kept the marquee names on the bill, though at the cost of compressing the rest of the day. For background on how the weekend was set up, see our Head Trip festival preview.
What happens next
Several questions are still open. None of the reports we reviewed mention refunds or credits for Saturday ticket holders, and Goldenvoice had not published a statement on that point as of Monday morning. The promoter marketed Head Trip as a “just this once” event, so whether the concept returns in another form is unknown. Harris, meanwhile, heads into a busy stretch after teasing a North American tour with billboards across the US and Canada.
For a festival that sold itself on happening only once, Head Trip ended up with two very different nights: one cut short by lightning, and one that carried both headliners to the finish. Full local coverage of the Saturday shutdown is available from KESQ.
Head Trip festival recap FAQ
Why was Head Trip’s first night cancelled?
A lightning alert linked to the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel stopped the show around 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. Indio police said the call was made under unified command out of caution.
Did Calvin Harris perform at Head Trip?
Yes. He missed his Saturday slot but played Sunday from 9:10 to 10:40 p.m., right before Swedish House Mafia.
Who closed Head Trip?
Swedish House Mafia closed the festival at 11 p.m. on Sunday, October 11, ending with “Happiness Is So Sad” featuring Lykke Li, per Groove Cartel.
Will Saturday ticket holders get refunds?
No refund or credit policy had been announced in the coverage we reviewed. Check Head Trip’s official channels for updates.
Will Head Trip return?
Goldenvoice billed it as a one time event and has not announced any future edition.
