Downtown Palm Springs businesses react to low Coachella crowds

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – With Coachella Weekend One in the books, Palm Springs businesses could see an increase in foot traffic as festival goers leave the Valley on Monday, but many said the foot traffic never came.

"Oftentimes we do get some business," Willie Rhine, owner of Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge said. "People don't want to travel on the Monday, so we looked for that this weekend also, and unfortunately that isn't really happening this year."

April begins the decrease in Valley visitors and the end of the peak-season for tourists. As the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held in Indio, Palm Springs does not see as much traffic as it could during the event itself.

But local businesses said this is to be expected with Coachella each year.

"Overall, the Coachella weekends for us are quieter than what people kind of think is the going standard, that it's really crazy downtown," Jeff Witthuhn, owner of Peepa's said. "This year we've had a pretty good weekend."

A "good weekend" during Coachella means a lot for local businesses, especially as the crowds are hard to predict.

"Foot traffic was kind of heavy Thursday and then Friday morning," Witthuhn said. "And then Saturday and Sunday seemed to be more just regular folks that were here visiting and not so much the Coachella group."

This Coachella group is in downtown Palm Springs, they just aren't visiting store like other tourists. News Channel 3 spoke with festival visitors downtown, and they said they were mainly looking for food and a peaceful time to walk around after the festival.

While solutions are scarce, Rhine said he only has one that could possibly help them from an extended lull. With Coachella in April, Rhine and Witthuhn prepare earlier for the summer with reduced labor expenses and product inventory.

But businesses expect the summer to be a low economic time, meaning bringing the festival to those months could help them.

"If I had one wish or my dream would be for them to move Coachella into a different month," Rhine said. "April is still the height of the season for local restaurants. It would be wonderful if they thought about doing Coachella in June...bringing that influx of Coachella attendees that might actually help us in those months."

Stay with News Channel 3 for more from downtown Palm Springs businesses and Coachella visitors.