This weekend, hundreds of thousands of eager fans will flock to the Coachella Valley in Indio for the 23rd year of the desert’s famed music festival.
Spanning two weekends in April, and being headlined for the first time in festival history by a slate of non-white performers, this year’s Coachella will surely be one for the books.
With tickets selling out soon after they went on sale in January, many festivalgoers, including Hayley Bill, a USC theatre major, have put in months of preparation for the weekend’s events.
“Obviously everybody just wants to get there and listen to music and have a good time with their friends, but you know, we had to make time to figure out grocery shopping, and who’s gonna drive, and who’s gonna pay for gas and all that.”
Madeline Martinez studies Business Administration. She agrees.
“My friends and I had to look for a hotel or like somewhere to stay, and that was obviously really hard because a lot of the hotels around the area booked out really quickly.”
Between housing, transportation, food and more, the cost of attending Coachella can skyrocket pretty quickly. Sophomore Jewel Abdo believes there are ways around this.
“Eating before the festival so then you’re less hungry when you’re watching everyone and you don’t spend $15 on a two-inch pizza..”
Experienced concert goers say packing your own food can also save money.
“Bring snacks. I brought granola bars and we lived on bars/maybe one shared meal for a whole day and it was very cost efficient!”
“Carrying enough water with me. I’m planning on bringing a water bottle that I can refill at the water stations around the festival site and then just like carrying around Pedialyte or anything that really contains electrolytes to keep my hydrated throughout the day.”
With temperatures peaking in the nineties this weekend and crowds that are likely the largest they’ve been post-COVID, personal health and safety are also on peoples’ mind.
For those going to the festival, a former attendee offers this advice.
“Drink water, put on sunscreen and know your limits as far as consumption. Have fun, but not too much fun!”
To make sure the Coachella experience is as seamless as possible, here are a few items students recommends bringing along.
“Definitely a fannypack, lots of water... oh a portable charger for sure because you’re going to be there for long hours, comfortable shoes.”
The festival, while definitely fun, can also be a learning experience for first time fans. One student remembers her trip to the Coachella Valley last April.
“I definitely learned a lot. I learned stay hydrated. I learned bring a bandana because you’re going to be inhaling dirt no matter where you go, and I also learned you gotta prioritize which artists you wanna see, because there’s just no way to see everybody.”
The festival gates will open at noon tomorrow and close after a headline performance by Frank Ocean Sunday night.
Those who can’t make it to Indio this weekend or end up wanting more time at Coachella can opt in for Weekend Two of the festival, which starts April 21.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Josh Flowers.