Ferris wheel. Desert. Crowds. It’s the music festival that doesn’t need to be named before everyone rushes to check trending hashtags and headliners.
But not this year.
After going on sale last week, tickets for the first weekend of the Coachella music festival are still available “for the first time in a decade,” according to SFGate.
In comparison, tickets sold out in under an hour in 2015, a little more than four hours in 2022 and a few days in 2023, according to SFGate. Ticket sales lagged in 2023 until it was revealed Frank Ocean would be performing his first show in six years. Ocean eventually ended up pulling out of his scheduled performance during the second weekend after an already-shortened set during the first week, according to Pitchfork.
But this year’s headliners– despite including big names like Doja Cat; Tyler, the Creator; Lana Del Rey and the reunion of the Gwen Stefani-led rock band No Doubt– might not be enough to draw people out to the desert. According to The Desert Sun, “[online] reactions to the list of performers is mixed.”
Sophomore Journalism major Amanda Murphy made sure to go to the last two Coachella festivals, but is unsure if she will attend this year.
“When Coachella came out, that was like the Mecca… like the place to be,” Murphy said. “There are [now] more opportunities to see these performers live.”
Coachella has grown substantially since the early 2000s, not only increasing its prestige and fame but also its pricetag. According to The Orange County Register, tickets cost $50 the first year of the festival in 1999. In 2015, with headliners AC/DC, Jack White and Drake, general admission cost $375. This year, tickets start at roughly $500.
“I think if the prices were lower, more people would be able to go,” sophomore Business of Cinematic Arts major Emily Fernandez said, adding that the price was not in her budget.