A message from a Coachella Vet. Take her advice if you dare:
-The number one thing I tell anyone going to Coachella is COMMIT TO A SET! It is inevitable that there are going to be conflicts and overlaps of sets you want to see, and it friggen hurts when you have to decide to skip that band you’ve been stoked to see for the past 4 months. However catching full sets is so much more fulfilling, and running from stage to stage to try and split it up just wastes time on travel. That being said, if you’re not vibing somewhere don’t force it, go switch it up.-If there is a set you really want to see, GET THERE EARLY! Find your spot, sit on the ground and chill for a second.-If Mojave or Gobi are overflowing and you’re on the outside, bail. For certain sets in those tents, they will get super full. It’s just not the right experience unless you’re inside, IMO. That being said, I’ve had a blast outside of Sahara, but only for a few certain cases.-When in doubt, go to the Do LaB.-Check out the Sonora stage!!! One of my favorite parts of Coachella is seeing music I normally never would. Sonora has treated me to some of the weirdest, disturbing, and coolest sets. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, you can hang out in the AC for a bit and it’s the only stage with a bar inside. Do something different!-Make sure you see a proper night time Sahara set, it just hits different in there when it’s dark outside-If you’re seeing a set at the outdoor stage, I highly suggest going to the right side. The flow from main stage can get really congested on the left.-The level of congestion at certain stages and sets is very inconsistent. It doesn’t happen often but I have been stuck in some pretty gnarly situations trying to get from one place to another. My tip, if there’s nowhere you need to be hang back, laugh with your friends, wait for shit to clear out then get moving. If there is another set you’re trying to get to, deep breaths, hold your friends’ hands, still make jokes, talk to strangers you’re shoved way too close to, laugh at the situation, it’s not forever, persevere.-Get some Yuma time in! I highly suggest finding some DJs playing earlier sets in there that you vibe with. Especially since you’re camping, it’s a great place to cool down because of the AC (I’ve seen people napping in there lol) But mostly because the line to get in there at night can be super long. There’s been a couple of years I never made it inside of Yuma and regretted it deeply. Production is fucking sweeeeet in there. Major vibes at all times.-Cell phone service has been decent in the past couple of years but I highly suggest making meet-up plans with your friends if y’all are splitting up at any moment. Make the plans SPECIFIC. For example, “Meet at the outside back-left corner of Mojave at 8:05” is one we’ve used a lot. Never “Meet at the beer garden” but rather “Meet at the Spicy Pie vendor in the beer garden near outdoor stage.” This may seem obvious but I’ve been in too many confusing and stressful lost plans at Coachella. My friends are kind of intense about it now and it’s worth it.-BRING A BANDANA AND WEAR IT AROUND YOUR FACE. Even when the dust seems light it all catches up to you. I’ve never left Coachella without a solid month-long dust cough. It’s kinda chic in a weird wook sense, but it’s annoying.-Give yourself time to try some of the food! Check out the food lineup, ahead of time. There’s always some really good stuff. Lines get long later on so plan accordingly. My suggestion since you’re camping is to catch some early Yuma vibes, cool down, then go eat something filling and delicious. Eating in the heat can be tough but necessary. FIND THE CRAB FRIES!!!!!-MAKE SURE TO CATCH AN OUTSIDE SUNSET SET. There is nothing better than an epic Coachella sunset. Being at a set at an outside stage that starts with the sun still up and ends in the night time is one of the most magical experiences in life.-Drink a lot of water (duh, I know) there are water refill stations which is great, but in a pinch, water bottles are only $2 (Coachella has never changed the price of their water which we love them for).-Check out music you’ve never heard of or will never have the chance to ever see again! That’s the greatest part of any music festival. Period.-Pack layers and comfy shoes, you’re going to walk a lot, take your time, be kind to yourself!-Take a moment during the night time to just embrace your surroundings, look around at the rainbow palm trees, the illuminated art installations, wave at the moon, breathe it all in.-GO. SEE. JUSTICE. (and do dr*gs if you want to)Have the most wonderful time ever!-MarinaP.S. Since I am sadly sitting out this year, my research on the lineup is lacking, but my trusted Coachella co-pilot sent me his notes on some acts to catch if it’s speaking to you:People are raving about Orbital, they’ve been around forever and I get some Underworld vibes from them.
Bicep is rad, moody electronic, kind of Moderat-y? Great visuals too, might be a classic nighttime Mojave situation.
Charlotte De Witte for the heavy techno, and she’s confirmed to not be in Yuma so that’ll be fun.
Jjuujjuu- last name on the poster. Great psych rock, kind of Khrungban-ey.
Brutaalismus 3000- SCARY! And confirmed for Sonora! Potential to be the best or the worst set of the weekend.
Barry Can’t Swim- Kind of Fred Again-ey, getting popular. “See him before he blows up!”
Oneohtrix Point Never – weird electronic I wish I was cool enough to like. But I definitely want to check it live.
ANOTR- Fun dancey electronic.
Hatsune Miku – lol
Reinier Zonneveld- one of the more interesting Techno acts I’ve ever seen, so cool. But if you’re not into techno it’s an easy skip.
Neil Frances- Vibey indie rock, kind of like Tame Impala.
And obvious ones: Justice, L’imp, Gesaffelstein, Jungle, Khruangbin, Gorgon, Flight Facilities, Purple Disco
