The Date Shed

The Date Shed opened its doors to the public for the first time on November 25, 2011. The idea for the Date Shed was a natural progression after all the years of the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival where the Date Shed was used as a private party area to host close family and friends during the festival. “We started it around a campfire, giving lots of musician friends a private place to jam,” says Alex Haagen IV, owner. This tradition sparked the inspiration of creating a jam session environment for friends, family and musicians alike but has turned into so much more. Haagen wanted to take the Coachella vibe, mix in the sunset strip of the 70’s, and give live music a home in the valley; a place where both local and touring bands can perform. The Date Shed, whose original use was a refrigerated repository for the sweet fruit harvested on the property for more than 50 years, became more and more popular with festival insiders. Haagen realized the potential existed for something truly unique to the desert. “There’s nothing else like it in the desert,” he says. “It was designed from an artist’s perspective forward. We designed a stage, sound and lighting package first, and then added a bar. It’s not a bar that has a stage in it; there is a difference. The rest of the space was created with the idea of giving music fans an environment to chill and enjoy their favorite bands or discover new ones. The concept was and is on the mark. The Date Shed is rapidly becoming “the In-Place,” with a reputation that is spreading all over Southern California giving all artists a new place to call home.