Coachella 2026 By the Numbers: Arrests Up Slightly in Weekend 2, Handicap Violations Nearly Triple

Coachella 2026 is a wrap, and with both weekends accounted for, the Indio Police Department's numbers tell an interesting story about how the two crowds compared.

Weekend 2 saw 106 total arrests, up modestly from the 97 made during Weekend 1. Drug possession remained the dominant charge both weekends, with 59 arrests in Weekend 1 dropping slightly to 52 in Weekend 2. False ID arrests held nearly steady at 14 and 13, respectively. The most notable jump came in the drug and alcohol intoxication category, which went from just 3 arrests in Weekend 1 to 8 in Weekend 2. "Other" arrests, covering domestic violence, trespass, battery, and DUI, also climbed significantly, from 20 to 33.

The sharpest contrast between the two weekends, though, was in handicap-related citations. Weekend 1 saw 32 citations issued for the unlawful use of a disabled person's placard. By Weekend 2, that number had jumped to 85, nearly three times as many, pushing the weekend's total handicap citations to 87.

Traffic patterns were also more strained in the second weekend. The main parking lot hit capacity by late afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday, sending overflow crowds to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Weekend 1 data did not note the same overflow situation.

The department noted that the majority of festivalgoers at both events complied with laws and safety guidelines.