Coachella is one of the most anticipated music festivals of the year. For two weekends in April, thousands of people travel to Indio, California, to see their favorite artists perform in one place. Many would think this sounds like a dream come true; in some ways, it is, but the reality is not as glamorous as people imagine.
As exciting as Coachella seems, there are plenty of downsides that often go overlooked. With the cost of living being at an all-time high, many people feel that strain. Expenses that once seemed like a daily routine now require budgeting, and luxuries like traveling and attending concerts have become harder to justify. For many, priorities have shifted to simply keeping a roof over their heads. With this in mind, Coachella’s prices have also skyrocketed, making them hard to ignore.
Although this seems untrue, Coachella wasn’t always expensive. In 1999, Goldenvoice, a concert promotion company, created the concept of Coachella. Paul Tollet, who is the CEO of the company, as well as Rick Van Santen, the co-president, made their vision a reality. They wanted Coachella to be an affordable event aimed at genuine music fans rather than the performative influencer culture it’s now associated with. They kept ticket prices at $50 for a single day and $100 for the entire weekend. The organizers also focused on providing free water stations and accessible restrooms for all attendees. That year, Coachella lost 1 million dollars and came close to bankruptcy because of their commitment to affordability. The festival was paused until it returned in 2001 as a low-cost, one-day event. From there, the festival gradually expanded into the massive, high-priced event it is today.
Now we get into modern-day Coachella. You’ve probably seen influencers online flying out to L.A. on private jets, renting massive Airbnbs, wearing flashy outfits, and documenting every moment as if the festival is a perfect dream. What you see on social media is only a version of Coachella that a small fraction of attendees experience. For the average person, the weekend looks nothing like the glamorous posts. It’s cramped camping setups, packed shuttles, long lines, overpriced food, and weather conditions so extreme that they can compromise a person’s comfort, health, and hygiene.
For most festival attendees, Airbnbs and hotels are unaffordable. High demand has caused prices to reach up to twenty thousand or more. As a way to cut down these prices, many attendees camp in their cars or set up tents on the festival grounds. To paint the picture, imagine waking up at sunrise because the desert heat built up in your tent. The heat outside is already unbearable, but now you don’t even have a cool place to escape to. Since the tent is only useful for sleeping, you have to wait in a line of fifty other people for the chance to get a five-minute shower in a suffocating portable stall. Not only are the showers crowded, but the bathrooms are as well. You now have to bring all your belongings to a bathroom shared by many just to manage basic hygiene. After a long day of crowded spaces and indulging in overpriced foods and beverages, you go back to your tent and have to fight the cold and desert winds for the rest of the night.
Not only is it a struggle to camp on the festival grounds, but once you finally make your way toward the festival, you’re met with another test of patience: the shuttles. Hundreds of people are packed into small buses without air conditioning, leaving everyone shoulder to shoulder in the miserable heat. The proximity only makes it worse.
By the time you reach the festival grounds, the crowds get even bigger, stretching across every walkway. Everywhere you turn, another line forms in the distance: Security lines, lines for wristbands, water lines, even lines to cross from one section to the next. Many people have reported that they’ve missed their favorite artist’s performance because it took them nearly an hour to reach the next stage. This frustration only fuels the disappointment many festival attendees feel after being promised an enjoyable concert experience.
Once you finally escape the crowds, another reality sets in: Everything inside the festival comes with a large price, especially food and drinks. Basic human needs are inflated and have to be carefully budgeted. Because of the number of people and high demand, what should be just a small snack and a bottle of water can easily reach prices up to $50. It’s a shocking moment for many first-time attendees, who quickly realize that staying fed and hydrated becomes less about comfort and more about strategy. People often ration meals, stretch a drink for hours, or skip food altogether to avoid draining the money needed for the rest of the weekend. The constant spending only adds additional stress to an already overwhelming environment, making it harder to enjoy the fun parts of the festival.
As if the financial strain weren’t enough, the weather adds another layer of frustration and danger. Coachella is held at the Empire Polo Club in Coachella Valley. This area is known for its desert surroundings and extreme heat. With temperatures rising to the triple digits, attendees risk the possibility of getting heat stroke or passing out from dehydration. Not only is the heat intense, but the dust is too. Because the Coachella Valley is a desert, dust travels constantly and can get trapped in people’s lungs. Many have reported seeing black dust when blowing their nose or visible dust on their faces by the end of the night. Not only does this affect the external body, but internally as well. These conditions increase the risk of respiratory infections that could lead to lifelong issues.
Looking at Coachella as a whole, it becomes clear that the festival no longer resembles the accessible, music-centered event it was originally meant to be. An event once designed to bring all people together through a shared passion has now transformed into an exhausting, dangerous, and overpriced experience that prioritizes profit over genuine enjoyment. While Coachella may be a dream come true for the average person, it’s more of a struggle than a reward.
