Since 1999, the festival event, Coachella, has gotten people excited every year. Held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, it was created with the intent to celebrate diverse music and art. The first ever Coachella was in October, but since 2001, they have taken place in April (except for 2004 when it was in May).
Coachella is known for the big headliners and fashion statements that emerge each year. This year’s headliners were: Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Green Day, and Travis Scott. Headliners are chosen by Goldenvoice, which is the concert and festival promoter company that runs Coachella. Other notable headline performers from past festivals include Beyonce, Radiohead, Prince, and Paul McCartney. Alongside the excitement for the concerts, comes the excitement about what attendees wear to the festival. As the 2010s came around, the fashion trends started appearing, shaping the social aesthetic of Coachella. It was widely known for the “boho minimalist and free spirit attire” of its attendees.
The whimsicalness of the 2010s style did not stick through the past decade with the festival. As social media has changed, Coachella fashion has changed with it. The rise of influencers has brought significantly more attention to prepping for the festival than ever. The trends and marketing of social media is what made the fashion aspect synonymous with the event. A huge portion of Coachella’s profits come from brand deals and promotion from public figures. Their content consists of “get ready with me” videos and vlogs influencers make while they’re at the festival.. With the rise of the social presence of Coachella, many more opinions have been formed.
In this past year, many festival bystanders on social media had a lot to say about what attendees wore. A lot of stress comes from the celebrity taking part in the event. When influencers and celebrities show off their outfits, there always seems to be some kind of backlash. This year, some celebrities that got more attention than others were Julia Fox, Kylie Jenner, Timothee Chalamet, as well as several TikTok influencers. What these celebrities primarily got criticized for is a lack of effort and/or functionality, or the overall style. Despite a lot of the attention going to the public figures that attend Coachella, anyone is welcome to go.
It’s not a celebrity only event; all people have an opportunity to go. Passes start at $500 and can get up to $1,400. This does not include attending both weekends, car camping, the offered camping, or parking. In total it can cost anywhere between $1,600 to $3,000 for one person. Since it’s such an expensive event, there’s always something that seems to get nitpicked. During this year specifically, there were videos blowing up on TikTok about the public showers, the wait in line for parking, and the environmental effect of the event.
As these videos were surfacing, comparisons to other outdoor festivals started popping up. Festival attendees were debating about how good Coachella’s showers were as well as the outdoor environment. Another big event that got brought up was Burning Man 2023. During that year, the desert festival experienced a massive downpour which caused flooding, leaving attendees in a very uncomfortable situation. One person died due to the unexpected weather conditions and thousands were stuck there until it was safe enough to travel. The problematic events of Coachella 2025 could not compare to that.
A side-effect of big festivals is the litter that is left behind. In 2019, a single day of Coachella would create 106 tons of litter. Because of the nature of a festival, losing a spot in a crowd or risking to miss a performance is important enough to some and it becomes easier to throw their trash on the ground. Coachella has implemented recycling efforts to reduce and reuse, but not all attendees will participate in that. While promoting events like Coachella, it’s important to be aware of their effect on the people and Earth, while also enjoying the performances.
There’s nothing wrong about Coachella, it’s okay for people to enjoy big events like this. Again, Coachella’s goal is to celebrate diverse art and music, as well as self expression. It’s good to be mindful and self aware at events like this, but it’s important to still have fun.
