Coachella takes place in Indio, California, and consists of two three-day long weekends from April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24, with hundreds of musicians displaying their talents. It costs at least $399, which is a hefty price for most people, but with the number of concerts you get to experience in the three days, this price is more than justified. Every year, the line-up provides a large array of genres of music that can appeal to many music tastes. This year, the standouts include Alessia Cara, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, Halsey, Guns n’ Roses, The Chainsmokers, and Zedd, among others (but of course this is only my opinion of who will be the standouts and yours is bound to differ).
Even though the main attraction of Coachella is the music (and rightly so, since it is a music festival), the scenery is undoubtedly beautiful as well. Coachella is held in the desert area of Indio, and the field is wide open and full of attractions. There are multiple stages with a plethora of music acts and performances going on, combined with classic Southern Californian palm trees that light up in a rainbow of colors. Even the trash cans are decorated with art, ranging from Roy Lichtenstein’s to local artists’, displaying the prevalence of art at the festival. Other art pieces include a giant caterpillar and an ant that looks like a giant construction truck.
Other than the art and the music, another large factor that plays into music festivals, with Coachella in particular, is the fashion. People dress up in a bohemian gypsy style of clothing, with crochet crop tops, fedora hats, booties, and ripped pants paired with intricate jewelry reminiscent of tribal design. Girls paint their faces with white dots above the brows and jewels stuck to their faces, along with temporary metallic tattoos covering their bodies. Without the fashion style that is symbolic of these music festivals, Coachella wouldn’t be Coachella.
Whether you go for the music, the art, the fashion, or all of it, Coachella is an amalgamation of the very best aspects of music festivals. We may not be able to attend it now, living in China, but perhaps one day you’ll be able to have the pleasure of enjoying that experience first-hand instead of living it vicariously through the myriad of photos and videos.
Emily Wang