Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Traffic: What to Expect Thursday Through Monday

It's that time of year again, and if you live anywhere near the Empire Polo Grounds, you already know what's coming. This week on Know Before You Go, CV Sync Traffic Program Manager Kris Gunterson is joined by Jim Curtis, Community Services Manager for the City of Indio, to break down what residents can expect during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and how to get around it.

THURSDAY: THE CAMPERS ARRIVE

The concerts don't start until Friday, but the traffic gets going on Thursday. Campers will begin arriving early in the morning, and most will funnel in through Jefferson Street and Monroe Street on their way to the polo grounds.

If you were driving around last year for Coachella Weekend One, you remember what happened. The Thursday camper ingress turned into full-on gridlock, and the delays stretched well past what anyone anticipated. The City of Indio took that experience seriously. Curtis says they've opened a second toll booth entry point, adding a new lane on the north side of the venue to complement the existing south side entry. That change made a noticeable difference during Coachella Weekend Two and Stagecoach last year. The hope is that it does the same this time around.

Expect the heaviest traffic on Jefferson and Monroe through mid-morning. If you don't need to be in that area, Thursday morning is a good day to find another route.

FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: FESTIVAL DAYS

Once the gates open for general festival-goers, expect all three main corridors to stay busy: Washington Street, Jefferson Street, and Monroe Street. Washington near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will see extra congestion early in the weekend, as attendees stop there to pick up wristbands and board shuttle buses. Gunterson says that activity tends to be heaviest on Friday and tapers off as the weekend goes on.

For the rest of the weekend, plan for heavy traffic on all three corridors from about 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. That's when people start heading out from the hotels and vacation rentals and making their way toward the polo grounds for the evening sets. If you need to get through that area during those hours, Avenue 48 is a solid alternate route. Highway 111 works too, and heading south to Avenue 52 or Avenue 54 can also help you avoid the worst of it.

When the concerts wrap up, the reverse happens. Expect outbound traffic from around midnight to 3 a.m. each night as tens of thousands of people head back to their accommodations.

MONDAY: THE BIG EXIT

Monday morning is just as significant as Thursday, only this time the flow goes the other way. Starting around 8:30 to 9 a.m., the camper gates open and the mass exit begins. Washington Street, Jefferson Street, and Monroe Street will all see heavy outbound traffic, with things generally clearing up by around 11:30 a.m.

Here's the most important heads-up of the week: if you're planning to leave the valley and head west on Interstate 10, get on the freeway before 9 a.m. Once that camper traffic hits the on-ramps, I-10 will be gridlocked for most of the day. Curtis says this happens every year and it catches people off guard. Don't let it catch you.

Whether you're navigating around the festival or just trying to run your usual errands, a little patience goes a long way this weekend. The good news is it's only three weekends, and for everyone who's not going, it'll be over before you know it.

For the latest traffic conditions and live updates from CV Sync, visitcv-sync.com.