Coachella Guide for First Timers : Avoid the 5 Most Common Disasters!
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It’s almost April, and you know what that means right? FESTIVAL SEASON IS ON THE HORIZON!! There are literally dozens of festivals happening around the world every month, but in the USA, festival season really kicks off with the social media powerhouse : Coachella Music Festival. But the Coachella that is presented with hashtags on social media is a MUUUCH different experience than actually being at Coachella. So if you’re planning on attending Coachella for the first time, or even for your first festival EVER, then you’re in luck! I’m putting together all of my tips into this massive Coachella Guide for first timers!
Coachella Guide for First-Timers
So, where do you even start? The thing about Coachella is that you don’t know what you don’t know until…well, you find out you don’t know it. Throughout this Coachella guide for first timers, I’ll break all the tips starting with the planning stages and pre-festival. Then I’ll move into the actual festival. And thennn any follow up tips. Yes, there will be follow-up things to plan for.
Aren’t you glad you have me?
So let’s jump into it!
*Note: NONE OF THESE PHOTOS ARE EDITED. One, because I’m lazy. And two, to show you THE REAL Coachella. Granted, I’m not a great photographer anyway, so nothing is all that flattering to begin with. But I want you to see what Coachella is like behind all the filters. ESPECIALLY the food because chiiiiiile…well, you’ll find out soon enough. Smh.
Pre-Planning
All the fun stuff that goes down BEFORE the big event. This includes tickets, housing, transportation, blah blah blah. It’s the logistics of the event. You’re going to want to grab a pen for this one.
Table of Contents
Tickets: Who/What/When/Where/How
There are essential two windows to buy tickets. During the advance sale, and then the general sale. And the tickets themselves have different package tiers. The prices may vary slightly, increasing a bit each year, so I’ll just list the most recent price for 2019.
- General Admission ($429) : The most basic tier. Allows entrance to the Venue and Day Parking lots all three days. GA Pass holders may visit the GA camping areas.
- General Admission + Shuttle ($509) : Basically the same as GA, but with a shuttle pass. For 2020, round-trip Any Line Shuttle service will depart from local hotels 12PM – 8PM each show day, and return service from the festival will end 60 minutes after the music ends each night. Click into your weekend below for a full list of participating locations and be sure to check back often, as stops my be added as the event nears.
- VIP ($999) : The highest tier. It includes all GA access, as well as access to the exclusive VIP areas. The VIP areas are where all the celebrities, sponsored influences, and Coachella-invited guests hang out.
All packages include entrance to the festival for the entire weekend (3 days), but ONLY ONE WEEKEND. So if you buy a ticket for weekend 1, you cannot use it for weekend 2.
–IT’s time to buy!–
The advance sale usually happens in June, typically the 2nd week. For the advance sale, the festival line up IS NOT KNOWN. In fact, Coachella does not release the line up until a few months before the festival (some time in January). So you are essentially shooting blind. But the advantage of the advance sale is that you are able to buy your tickets on a payment plan.
The payment plan breaks up the total cost of the ticket over seven months, so it doesn’t all hit your credit card bill at the same time.
EXAMPLE PAYMENT PLAN (FOR 1 GA PASS)
- 1st Payment June 14, 2019 = $25
- 2nd Payment July 14, 2019 = $67.33
- 3rd Payment August 14, 2019 = $67.33
- 4th Payment September 14, 2019 = $67.33
- 5th Payment October 14, 2019 = $67.33
- 6th Payment November 14, 2019 = $67.33
- 7th Payment December 14, 2019 = $67.35
That makes Coachella seem more affordable, eh?
–or you could wait until the general sale
After the advance sale tickets are up in June, you will not be able to buy tickets until the next sale period. The second one happens in January, shortly after the line up is announced. The prices for each ticket package will be the same, but this time there is no option for a payment plan. The advantage of waiting for the second wave of tickets is that you will know the headliners and if the lineup interests you.
–Ticket add-ons
Aside from the package price, there are also premium add-ons you can buy. The prices below reflect 2019 prices.
- Preferred Parking ($140) : Parking pass for spots super close to the venue.
- Car Camping ($120 | $266 for preferred) : One 10’x30′ overnight car camping site
- Camping Companion Parking ($55) : Additional car camping for a second vehicle for more campers
- Tent Camping ($102) : One 10’x30′ overnight tent camping site
- Lake Eldorado “TeePee” Glamping ($2224) : CULTURAL APPROPRIATION ASIDE (but not forgotten D< ) this is a 2 person tent in a secluded area. This option includes 2 GA ticket passes, sleeping bags, cots, and pillows.
- And…well…more outlandish tent options that go up to $9k. Seriously. It’s wild.
–What is the ticket-buying process like?
The day of the ticket sale, you should go to the Coachella website a few minutes before the launch time. Use your fastest computer. Grab a stress ball.
And wait.
If you can, have a buddy try to get tickets as well, just as a backup.
MAKE A COACHELLA ACCOUNT BEFORE THE SALE STARTS. It will save you time once you need to buy!
At the start of the ticket launch, the website will automatically refresh and you will be able to buy your tickets. BUT WAIT – not so fast. You will be entered into a digital “line” and you will have to wait until it’s your turn to place an order. There is not ETA on when this will happen either, so make sure you have at least a solid 30 minute time window available.
When I bought my tickets, I took a “bathroom break,” and waiting in the Coachella digital line for about 10 minutes. My coworkers texted me to make sure I was alright haha. Once you are out of the line and directed to the shop page, you have time to freely pick your ticket package without worrying about it selling out before you get to your cart. Unlike getting reservations for Havasupai, which involved back and forth frustration because everyone bought their tickets simultaneously.
That said, you might experience your preferred ticket package being sold out by the time you get your chance to shop. Usually GA tickets sell out first, but thankfully GA+shuttle isn’t too much more expensive.
–But wait! I wasn’t able to get tickets!!
If you were not able to score tickets during either sale date…you have a few options.
The first, and easiest, is to just not go.
Second, you could join the advance ticket sale waitlist. In the event that someone defaults on their payment plan, someone from that waitlist will get their spot, (they will still need to pay the full ticket price though).
On that note, if you decide to change your mind on which weekend you want to visit, there is also a weekend exchange waitlist.
Third, you could get a ticket second-hand. You could buy tickets from festival/event websites like Viagogo, TicketNetwork, or eBay. These sites have buyer protection in the event that there is a problem with the ticket. As a LASTT resort, you can try buying someone’s ticket from Craigslist, but exercise extreme caution. Make sure to meet the seller IN PERSON and have them walk with you to the gate with the wristband. If the wristband scans – THEN pay them. Fake tickets are a sure way to ruin a trip.
Housing: So…WHERE do you sleep??
Housing questions come up a lot, so I think it’s important to mention in this Coachella guide for first-timers. Allow me to introduce you to Coachella Valley.
Coachella Valley is the geographic area where Coachella takes place, and is made up of a number of different desert cities, east of Los Angeles and west of Phoenix. It is the space between LA and Vegas/Arizona. Coachella Valley is on the land of the the Cahuilla people, and the several bands within the Nation.
The city that the Coachella Music Festival takes place in is actually not in the city of Coachella (which is one of the desert cities in Coachella Valley). The music festival is in the city of Indio. Some of the other desert cities are Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta, and Cathedral City (and others). Deciding which city you want to stay in will be your first step. But expect prices to be VERY elevated in all of them.
–Some things to consider when deciding on housing
- Distance to the music festival: If you can walk, it will be a HUGE time and frustration saver. That said, it’ll probably be very expensive. So know your budget. If you’re driving distance, try to look for a place that either offers free parking or shuttle access to the festival.
- Traffic: EXPECT IT. For example, if you’re leaving from Palm Springs, it usually takes around 30 minutes to get to Indio. During Coachella, it will be over an hour.
- Party size: If you are renting a place for a large group of people, make sure to ask EVERYONE in your group if they want their own room/bed, if they are comfortable sharing beds, if anyone is willing to sleep on the couch or bring a sleeping bag. And make sure to be transparent with dividing the costs so everyone knows who is paying what and there is no miscommunication.
–Well what about camping onsite??
Hands down, camping is going to be your cheapest option. But unfortunately for this Coachella guide for first-timers, I DONT HAVE ALL THE INFO ON CAMPING. I know, crazy for a blogger to admit that, right? The only things I do know is that it’s pretty noisy and restless trying to camp with thousands of other hyped up people.
But I won’t leave you stranded on this topic. Check out this post for more info on Coachella Guide for First-Timers: Camping at Coachella.
Budget: Dolla dolla bills yall
So you have your tickets, you worked out where your and/or your group will be staying, it’s time to work out your budget. That’s right, this part of the Coachella Guide for First Timers is called hashtag WATCH YOUR WALLET. Here are my tips on how to shop till you drop, but still keep the prices down!
Clothing and Accessories
Don’t even lie, this is probably what you’re most concerned about. I meannn, yeah, Coachella started out as an indie alternative grunge music festival. But it has transformed into an explosion of self-expression through clothing. As well as music. My Festival 101 guide gave a lot of tips on where to find clothes, so check that out if you want a full rundown. But just for now, here are some suggestions.
- Figure out what kind of look you want to shoot for. Which bands are you the most excited for? What kind of “festival goer” are you, or even what kind do you want to be? Are you head bashing to the hard rock? Do you wanna shuffle in the EDM tent? Will you be popping out to the pop icons? Or do you want to use the desert surroundings as your inspiration? Once you figure out what type of clothing you will have the most fun in, it will be easier to pick your outfits!
- Search your own closet FIRST. You already know what you’re looking for, so pull out everything that may fit the bill! Go through your shirts, your bottoms, socks, shoes, and accessories. Then, take pictures of everything you want to take to Coachella. Unless you’re an influencer planning on going to a pool party/event BEFORE Coachella, you’re only going to need ONE OUTFIT PER DAY. Do you hear me? ONE. If you’re lucky, you will be able to fashion your entire weekend from clothes you already have. If nott….
- Shop second-hand. Maybe you’re missing tops to match awesome shorts you have, or you might need a belt to bring together a look. Now’s the time to complete your outfits! Head to a GoodWill, Buffalo Exchange, or your neighborhood thrift store. Use the pictures you took of your items to help pick new items. EVEN BETTER – rummage through clothes from your mom/dad (fashion alwaysss comes back), your significant other, and your friends!
- Buy – with a discount! Okayyy, if you don’t already have 3 complete looks, and didn’t find anything suitable for the cheap, yeah, buy something new. The reason why this is last is because you’ll already be spending so much money on the actual event, and if you don’t already have something that works…you probably won’t be wearing this outfit again either. But maybe you will. I don’t know you, so don’t let me be a basket-block. So here are some sites that either I or one of my festival friends has a discount code for!
Rave Life
iHeartRaves : sizes XS-3XL, discount “MEGGNICC“
Rolita Culture : sizes XS-2XL, discount “MEGG15“
Desert Chic
LifeClothingCo : sizes S-XL, discount “AWKWARDKAY10“
Everything Else
SheIn : sizes XS-3XL, discount “q4aprivateplane”
ABOVE ALL ELSE – APPRECIATE, don’t appropriate. Here are some links to some POC owned brands to shop! Stop showing up to festivals wearing headdresses. It’s tacky and high key offensive.
Food
I’m not gonna lie. The food at Coachella is expensive. And to make things worse, you can’t bring outside food. And, TB completely H, it wasn’t that good either. In general. It was like…food that was fine. But for $500 + everything else, I WAS EXPECTING 5 STARS. Or at least 4? At least something that I would eat on the outside and be like…yeah, I’d go there again.
There was none of that at Coachella, at least from my experience. Nothing blew my mind. Plus, one day the power went out and shut down half of the food stalls in GA after like, 3pm. I didn’t do any research beforehand on “the best Coachella food stalls.” I was Weekend 1, so I went in with no prep. You might have more luck with Weekend 2 having info on what stalls to avoid. There was actually a Shake Shack stall, but the line was long and I wanted to try new vendors! Foolish. I did hear that VIP access had incredible food options.
Must be nice.
And they SEARCHHH your bags, so you can’t sneak in KFC buckets and your grandma’s collard greens like at the movie theater.
I did get away with packing a few protein bars and nuts as snacks, but nothing else.
–How much is the food though??
Expect meals to be AT LEAST $15 for just food (like, a rice bowl with meat). Non alcoholic drinks run $3-$6. I didn’t drink during my Coachella trip, but I think I remember it being around $10 or so. If you arrive to the festival from the first set to the last, budget for about $35 USD a day for two solid eats/$50 if you want a drink or two. Have a buffer of about $20 extra for Instagrammable foods that you can’t resist buying.
To cut costs outside of the festival, cook breakfast at home and have food ready at home for when you stroll in at midnight. BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE. It has to be EMPTY when you arrive (so sorry, no sneaking in vodka), but there are tons of refill stations around the festival grounds. Make sure your water bottle is 40 oz. or Less, and not glass or metal. You can also use hydration packs (like CamelBaks), but they have to be plastic and also empty at arrival.
It gets HOTTT during the middle of the afternoon. And one cool thing I saw were the Coachella security and staff handing out water bottles to attendees between sets! So that was pretty cool! Don’t bank on it though.
Pass the Mixtape
Let’s be real. You’re NOT going to see every artist. It’s the tragic reality of festivals. So once the lineup drops, I encourage you to listen to EVERY artist. Go through a few of their songs and plan out which artists you definitely want to see, or at least have a few options. You might just find a new favorite!
If you’re going with friends, decide on whether your group wants to split up so that everyone can see their favs, or if you want to stick together. If you decide to stick together, have everyone list their MUST-SEE artists and try to work out an itinerary that everyone will be happy with.
Venmo Pleaseeee!
And if you’re traveling in a group, it’s time to break out the Traveling 101: Group Travel to make sure everyone is on the same page with budgets, who is paying what, and an excel sheet with deadlines for payments.
COACHELLAAAA
Your bags are packed, you’ve checked into your flight, and you got the keycode to your Airbnb. YOU’VE MADE IT TO COACHELLA. Congrats, at least the hardest part is over. But now comes the most hectic part. ACTUAL COACHELLA. Welcome to the section of the Coachella Guide for First Timers that will lead you through all of the chaos of the event. See below.
Styled to the GODS
By now, you should hopefully have all of your outfits picked out. If not, or if you’re like me and just shove everything in a suitcase and hope for the best, it will help to lay it all out. Lay out your outfits in your hotel room (or whatever), and try everything on. Make sure you are comfortable with each look, both in style and function. My biggest Coachella regret is that I literally took zero pictures of myself looking cute. At Coachella. AS A BLOGGER.
I know. I know.
Smh.
Another thing, NO HEELS. Trust me, the people you won’t impress will not be worth the pain. Take comfortable shoes and non-slip socks. Hype up ya guys, gals, and pals, because it CAN be intimidating. But I assure you most everyone will give your outfit a thumbs up and an “OMG I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT!!1!”
Oh, and bring sunscreen. Not aerosols allowed inside though.
Map it Out (set stage)
Take a look of the map and see how far away the stages are from each other. Then take your set list itinerary, and map out what stages your desired artists will perform, and at what time. If you see that you’ll be far away from the restrooms for a large chunk of time, consider filling up your water bottle and relieve you bladder before heading over.
Pre-Parties and After Parties
If you’ve never been to Coachella, then maybe you don’t know about this: THERE ARE A TON OF PRE-COACHELLA PARTIES. But don’t worry, that’s what this Coachella Guide for First Timers is for. Usually starting around 9/10am-1pm, there are pre-Coachella parties all throughout Coachella Valley put on my numerous hotels and brands. These pre-parties range from small pool parties with music to full on mini-music festivals. A lot of them are free and just require an RSVP, but others are EXTREMELY exclusive. Moreso than even Coachella itself.
So if you’re someone willing to pre-game at a party and not just in your stuffy Airbnb room on hot wine, then you have plenty of options. There are also tons of Coachella-after parties as well! While the party lists for 2020 haven’t dropped yet, here’s a list of the 2019 Coachella parties to give you an idea on what to keep an eye out for!
Post-Planning
I know I know. It’s kind of weird to plan for AFTER Coachella, when it hasn’t even happened yet. But luckily I have good news: it’s the easiest part. So this part of the Coachella Guide for First Timers will go by pretty fast. But it’s also very important, so listen up!
Create a Share Drive
If you went to Coachella with friends, you probably have tons of pictures together and of each other. One thing you want to do is create a shared photo album that everyone can use to upload photos from Coachella. My suggestion would be to use Google Photos. That way, you have easy access to multiple photos, both posed and candid. And trust me, candid festival photos are amazing. After Coachella, make sure everyone uploads their photos to the album!
Follow up on Money
If you remember earlier in the Coachella Guide for First Timers, I advised you to make some kind of organized way of determining costs, and who pays what. If anyone has not paid in full for their portion of the trip, FOLLOW UP. I suggest following up within a week of the trip ending, and if they can’t pay immediately, GET A DATE FOR PAYMENT.
Plan for Next Year
By the time Coachella is over, there’s only a month before the next round of advance ticket sales for the following Coachella! If you want to go back, now is when you should start planning your Coachella crew if you want to get an advanced ticket! Or perhaps you want to look into some of the surrounding areas! Here are a few of my guides to nearby attractions!
Coachella Guide for First Timers: Conclusion
Overall, my experience at Coachella was pretty awesome. Again, I was pretty uncomfortable and anxious around all the crowds, and too self conscious to really enjoy the “Instagram” aspect of it. But on the other hand, the opportunity to see so many amazing artists all in one spot completely outweighed that. The venue was completely wheelchair accessible too!
Coachella was the absolute most expensive 10-day trip I have ever taken. (I stayed in Coachella Valley before and after the festival).
—what about rumors of Coachella being…problematic??
I meannn also – Coachella has a pretty seedy and problematic underbelly. Liiike the CEO Philip Anschutz donating to some of the biggest anti-LGBTQ+ groups in the nation. AND “immigration-reduction” organizations. ANDD media companies owned by Philip Anschutz boldy reject climate science and climate change. In recent years (~2017), Anschutz publicly denied being anti-LGBTQ+ and has since ceased donations to the three biggest and most aggressive anti-LGBTQ+ groups. However, there are still donations to some smaller ones. SOO.
—Does Coachella give back to the community??
In terms of the community, the Coachella Music Festival literally DOUBLES the area’s annual economy in just two weekends. It certainly helps make up for Coachella Valley’s dreadful summer seasons, when tourists flee the area as temperatures easily soar into the triple digits. That said, the poverty level in the cities of Coachella Valley hovers around 39%, nearly double the state average.
But why is that? Yanno, aside from Coachella being a desert?
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Coachella Valley is a second or third home to multiple millionaires and billionaires. They make up part of the “snowbird residents.” People who temporarily live there during the winter months when the weather is unfavorable in their primary homes. And they typically aren’t the ones holding down jobs.
Speaking of jobs, community wealth comes from jobs that stimulate and advance the community, like the tech and medical fields and government jobs. Coachella Valley is largely an agricultural driven region (along with landscaping, hospitality, and retail), which unfotunately do not contribute to high paying jobs and a flourishing economy.
—–okayyy what does Coachella have to do with that?
Each season, Coachella Music Festival donates a little over half of its profits to Coachella Valley. In 2019, that was nearly $805 million, with $212 million going directly to Indio, the city that hosts Coachella Music Festival. Which is great, but still a little frustrating to me that Coachella doesn’t offer much awareness to the community. Or more outreach that directly benefits Coachella Valley aside from paying them off for disrupting the citizens for a month. That COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL STILL HAS TEEPEES????
But I digress.
Desert X is one “festival” of sorts that I think does an insanely better job at giving both money AND awareness to the community in a fun and edgy way.
—soooo….can I go to Coachella??
I’m not going to say that attending Coachella makes you a bad, hateful, and unethical person. Because one, I don’t know anyone who attends Coachella BECAUSE of the CEO’s donations. Two, it would be completely hypocritical and elitist of me to do so. I am mentioning these facts because I want you to be informed. Remember that you can vote with your dollar. Of course. But also, billionaires are billionaires. They will support whoever is the most politically and financially valuable to them, regardless. So ALSO REMEMBER TO VOTE WITH YOUR ACTUAL VOTE. I know, I know…but hey, it’s something.
Festival time?
Are you headed to Coachella? If you’ve already been, how was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!
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