Weekend one of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has just passed us by, bringing with it a string of celebrity Instagram images of glamorous outfits and attention grabbing headlines. This year, it was ‘Are Leo and Rihanna dating?’ ‘Check out Taylor Swift’s new bleach blonde hair’ and ‘Kanye’s guest appearance cut short’. One thing is for certain, each year Coachella rolls around and we see thousands of people flock to social media to state how much they want to be there next year. So, how do you go about joining the A list and partying in the desert at Coachella?
What is Coachella?
Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held in Indio, California. It started in 1999 as a two day festival and was brought back annually from 2001. It’s currently held over two consecutive weekends, each with identical lineups. The festival site is the Empire Polo Club, a sprawling estate with acres of space for all the camping and festivities that Coachella brings to its doorstep. The main feature of the event is live music across several stages- the headliners for 2016 were Guns n Roses, LCD Soundsystem and Calvin Harris. The festival is also used as a visual arts showcase.
How to get Coachella tickets
Coachella tickets, like any festival, can be difficult to get. You have to go through the Coachella official website to Front Gate Tickets. This year, general admission cost $375. Tickets generally sell out in a matter of hours and there are a large number of combos available, such as camping, shuttle and VIP tickets. You can purchase tickets with a payment plan, which means you pay 20% of the cost upfront. It’s advisable that you create an account in advance of the tickets going on sale and save your billing information in a Word document. You are only allowed two tickets per billing address.
Travelling to Coachella
The closest airport to the festival site is Bermuda Dunes, which is around 15 minutes away. After that, it’s Palm Springs airport which can be more expensive to fly into. One option for travelling to the festival would be to fly to LAX and either use the shuttle bus or hire a car. The journey will take around 2 1/2 hours.
Thomas Cook flies to LAX, as do Virgin Atlantic.
Coachella tips and tricks
- Bring an empty non metal water bottle with you as temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees celsius.
- The festival map and set times are released a few days before the festival, so plan out who you wish to see in advance.
- Use the official Coachella app whilst you are there to keep you up to date with set changes or surprise performances.
- Treat your wristband like it is cash, as if you lose it, you can’t replace it.
- Lockers are available, but there aren’t many, so book in advance.
- Bring longer sleeves as the desert can get cold at night time.
- Put name and address labels on your wallet,phone and camera.
- Car Park app- There is an app which you can use to mark where you have parked. By nightfall, the car park is pitch black and all the cars will be covered in dust, so the app will help you find your car quicker.
- Pre-arrange an on site meeting place, as phone service at the festival can be unreliable. Also text your friends a meeting place and a time, rather than a generic ‘where are you?’ or ‘be here in 20 mins’.
Coachella Fashion
Fashion at Coachella has become a spectacle in its own right. This year, H&M had an exclusive Coachella collection and the Daily Mail dedicated an article to the celebrity fashion. Kylie Jenner drew attention with her peach wig, Vanessa Hudgens spent $190 on her manicure and the English girls Laura Whitmore and Millie Mackintosh covered up.
Whilst the celebrities may dress eccentrically, it’s easy to forget that they’ll go back to their hotel room or camper van at the end of the day. The normal people don’t. That’s why it’s easier for you to go for the fail safe denim shorts, t shirt and trainers. Your feet will thank you!
Also, let’s leave the Native American headdresses at home.
