The promoter behind Coachella is facing a hefty fine after the sets for Justin Bieber and Anyma broke one of the festival’s golden rules.
Coachella 2026 has wrapped up following two weekends of major performances, with the 25th edition delivering headline moments including appearances from Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter.
Justin Bieber took one of the top slots this year, marking a notable return for the ‘Baby’ singer as it was his first full US concert since 2022, after the Justice World Tour was called off.
The crowd response was huge as Bieber ran through fan favourites — but the show is now expected to come with a serious bill for Goldenvoice, the company that promotes the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
According to Billboard, the City of Indio has confirmed Goldenvoice is on the hook for $44,000 in penalties after both Bieber and Anyma went past the city’s long-standing curfew rules, which have been in place since the festival began in 1999.
Under the city’s requirements, music must end by 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, while Sundays have an earlier midnight cutoff.
Anyma’s Friday set (April 17) reportedly continued until 1:09am, triggering $24,000 in fines for the promoter.
Bieber’s Saturday show (April 18) also overran, adding another $20,000 to the total.
The agreement with Indio sets out a $20,000 penalty for exceeding curfew by five minutes on any given night, plus an additional $1,000 for every extra minute after that.
This isn’t new territory for Goldenvoice, which has repeatedly been fined over the years when artists have pushed beyond the permitted finish time — sometimes at significant cost.
Back in 2009, Paul McCartney’s performance reportedly ran 54 minutes over, resulting in a $54,000 fine.
In 2023, the total reportedly hit $168,000 after multiple sets ran late, including Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Skrillex, Fred Again and Four Tet.
More recently, Lana Del Rey’s 2024 set is said to have cost $17,000, while Travis Scott’s closing time last year reportedly led to a $20,000 penalty.
With the festival costing hundreds of millions of dollars to stage each year, it’s no shock that Coachella’s biggest names command major paydays.
Here’s a look at some of the priciest headliners from across the festival’s history…
In 2004, the English rock band topped the bill and reportedly earned $1 million — a figure that would be about $1.7 million in today’s money.
The ‘Slim Shady’ rapper headlined in 2018 and brought Dr. Dre out for a notable on-stage moment, with widespread reports suggesting he earned $1 million for the performance.
The New Yorker estimated the ‘Bad Romance’ singer received between $3-4 million for her 2025 headline slot, titled ‘Mayhem in the Desert’.
(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella)
Paul McCartney was reportedly paid around $4 million to headline in 2009, per 98FM — which would be roughly $6 million when adjusted for today’s economy.
Prince, another iconic name in the festival’s history, was reportedly paid $5 million for his 2008 headline slot, which would be approximately $7.4 million today.
(Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)
The Wicked star made headlines in 2019 by becoming the youngest female artist to ever headline the festival.
PEOPLE reported she earned $8 million across both weekends.
(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AG)
After headlining in 2018 — a year that became known as ‘Beychella’ — the exact figure for the pop star’s fee was debated at the time.
Billboard later projected she likely earned somewhere between $8 and 12 million, placing her among the most expensive headliners the festival has ever booked.