" Coachella" by Matt K.

             
The good month of April not only brings us Easter and amazing spring weather, it also brings us one of the most important weekends in music and art, Coachella. Coachella is a three day music and arts festival located on the huge Empire Polo Club in sunny Indio. It hosts hundreds of artists from a multitude of genres on 7 unique stages. The sounds are so diverse that you can welcome noon with indie, catch the sunset while listening to some hip hop, and end your night by dancing your face off to a DJ spinning the freshest electronic dance music.

Even though Coachella provides a high class production and musical lineup, its top characteristic is the atmosphere the festival creates. From the start you are surrounded by thousands of friends you have never met before and are immersed in a liberating setting that frees yourself from all of your troubles back home. When you’re at Coachella nothing else matters except for the music, the people, and the great vibes. Stepping onto the polo grounds is like stepping into a new world, there’s no predicting what you will encounter. 

 

Now that you’ve received a little whiff of what Coachella is about I’m going to briefly walk you through how to get the most out of your own Coachella experience.

Music

With so many artists on the bill and so little time to catch them all, planning your personal Coachella lineup may seem a little intimidating. A good place to start is to highlight your must see artists and take note of the artists that you’ve never heard of but might seem interesting (the ones with cool names), so you can research them before the festival. Since there are artists playing simultaneously on different stages you will have to eliminate some of your conflicting favorites, unless you can be in two places at once. Once you’ve sorted your conflicts and have a general road map of your weekend you will notice that you have a lot of empty time and space to fill. This space can be used to charge your phone, sleep, eat, or explore the grounds.

Where to Stay

Coachella isn’t complete without camping. It’s what gives the festival its iconic modern Woodstock feel. There are many different ways you can camp at Coachella: RV, car & tent, VIP lodging, and tepees. The most common way to stay on site is car camping. This option grants you a 10 by 30 foot spot in which you can park your car and set up a tent or two. Even though many opt for camping, others choose to stay at hotels located around the festival. The only downside to this option is that walking to your car so you can drive back to your hotel is a mission after you spending over 12 hours at the festival.

General Tips

·      SUNSCREEN IS A MUST!

 

·      Stay hydrated. The typical weather for the festival is around 100 degrees during the day so be sure to get a drink at a water station scattered throughout the festival.

·      Roam around the grounds often. Coachella offers a multitude of art installation and is a hot spot for celebrity guests. You never know who you may run into.  

                 

·      Talk to anyone and everyone, they’re all friendly and have interesting stories to share.

·      Don’t miss the sunset.

·      Enjoy yourself.

Thanks for reading!