For the last few years, every single time Coachella drops its official lineup, the comment section is flooded with people spreading hate and distaste towards the artists selected, with many people specifically disappointed about the rising costs of attending the festival. What if I told you that Coachella is actually incredibly reasonably priced, and the experience itself is so much fun that no matter what the lineup is, I truly believe most people who go end up having an amazing time.
Value for Money
Let me begin by saying that while Coachella is definitely on the higher end of festival prices, the value for money is actually quite incredible at Coachella. Festivals, in general, tend to be a better bang for your buck because you get to see a large number of artists in the span of a few days, and Coachella, especially, is incredible because the headliners tend to have really expensive tour shows.
Take the lineup from earlier this year. If you wanted to purchase a GA ticket for Lady Gaga’s Mayhem tour and Charli XCX’s Brat tour, I can guarantee you that the costs of these two tickets will be higher than the Coachella ticket itself. So think about it, you get to see Gaga, Charli, and probably 20 other performers if you plan well enough, which comes out to around $20 per artist, which is truly unreal.
The Camping Experience
Both times that I went to the festival, my friends and I opted to camp instead of renting an Airbnb or staying at a hotel. Not only did this significantly bring down the overall cost of the festival, but it also made it very accessible to go in and out of the festival to grab food, drinks, or before nighttime. The campgrounds are quite vast and super fun as well. There are a ton of activities to do during the day and competitions that you can participate in to win prizes. In addition to that, the campers get a pre-party the night before the festival and some afters as well.
If you choose to split a campsite with a few friends, the total cost will be less than $200 per person for the whole weekend. Last year, I only ended up paying around $100 for my campsite. If you’re group plans ahead and brings food and drinks with you as well, then it makes the festival even cheaper as you don’t have to pay the crazy prices to buy food/drinks at the festival itself.
The EDM Lover
As someone who is an avid house and techno listener and has been to many EDM festivals around the globe (including Tomorrowland twice), I genuinely believe that in the last few years, Coachella has risen into an EDM powerhouse festival. If you regularly listen to genres like Afro House, Melodic House & Techno, Tech House, UKG, Progressive House, or Deep House, then you know that Coachella’s dance music lineup has been stacked recently! Coachella has 2 stages completely dedicated to dance music, Yuma and DoLab, but the Sahara and the Heineken House stages tend to be dominated by EDM acts as well.
The Yuma stage is a massive indoor tent with pulsing lights, LED panels, disco balls, and a brilliant sound system as well. But what truly makes this stage so incredible is that you get to see some of the biggest names in dance music performing in a stage that is never oversold. In the 2 years I have been to Coachella, I managed to see DJs like Keinemusik, Francis Mercier, Tinlicker, Chris Stussy, Hot Since 82, CamelPhat, and many more, with so much room to dance and a crowd that embodies PLUR. If you enjoy house and techno, then I can confidently say that the Yuma stage is the best EDM stage I have been to in the States.
In contrast, the Do LaB stage offers a completely different energy — open-air, colorful, and refreshingly unpredictable. It’s an outdoor playground of art installations, mist sprays, and vibrant structures that feel straight out of a dreamscape. Instead of the dark, clubby vibe of Yuma, here you’re dancing under the sun (or stars) surrounded by people covered in glitter, flowy outfits, and endless smiles. Fun fact: the stage is run by the same collective that runs the Lightning in a Bottle festival. Finally, the last artist on the lineup every day tends to be a surprise act that they announce only a few hours before the set time, and there have been some massive names in the world of dance filling these slots.