After many years of postponing the idea of attending Coachella, I decided to set aside my procrastination and actually attend this year. I’m so glad I did.
My trip was definitely planned last minute. Early March, my girlfriends had mentioned over dinner that they had purchased their tickets and the festival was happening in one month. I’ve heard of people booking their hotel a year in advance and here I have one month to find tickets and hotel accommodations!?
But I didn’t want to the time constraint to deter me from trying to attend. So, on a whim, I scoped out Craigslist and found two Weekend 2 tickets for face value. Instead of burdening myself with the struggle of finding a hotel, I decided to look for a car camping pass. Fortunately, my girlfriend had an extra pass and sold it to me.
My weekend at Coachella is definitely one for the books. The music, the food, the parties, the FASHION—it was total sensory overload. But, of course, a weekend is not a success without some obstacles along the way. Below is a list of things that I’ve learned during my first trip to Coachella and tips that I will take with me the next time I attend.
1. Dress light and comfortable — With Indio bringing heat waves up to 90 degree and higher, it’s important to wear light clothing articles. You can forget about the pants and the long sleeve shirts. Think rompers, crop tops, flowy skirts, and shorts! I’ve seen some girls even rock bikinis at Coachella! But no judgement there because it is hot and wearing minimal clothing is the way to go. Feel free to bring a light jacket for it gets pretty chilly during the evening. And don’t forget your bandanna to cover your face with during the occasional wind storms.
2. Wear comfy shoes — As for shoes, make sure they’re comfortable because there will be a lot of walking (and running, if you’re trying to catch multiple acts that are going on at the same time.) The festival venue is HUGE. I thought I could get away with heeled booties but even those started to be painful towards the end of the night. Make sure that you wear cheap shoes that you don’t mind scrapping up because the festival grounds get dusty and dirty.
3. Leave your Chanel at home — Omit large purses. Since you’ll be moving a lot, the last thing you want is a heavy bag on your shoulder stopping you from hitting those awesome dance moves you got. Stick with a small crossbody bag or even a fanny pack!
4. The camp sites are not large — When coming into the campgrounds, cars are assigned a slot that is 10×30 feet. That space can fit a car and a 10×10 canopy or tent, comfortably. It’s not large, so don’t get overzealous when inviting friends to camp at your slot. I would suggest a maximum of four individuals to a slot.
5. The sandstorms are real — As I’ve mentioned above, always have a bandanna at hand. If you’re car camping, make sure to nail down your tent and canopy firmly to the ground. Download the Coachella app and it will give you high wind alerts. If high winds are to be expected, make sure to lower your canopy down or put it away before you leave for the festival. My friends and I didn’t get that memo and came back to our campsite to find our canopy completely totaled 🙁
6. Bring warm clothing/blankets — I know that sounds contradictory to tip #1, but, believe it or not, it does get chilly at night. And, windy. So if you choose to car camp like I did, make sure to bring warm blankets.
7. Bring toilet paper — With thousands of people to a campground, you can only imagine how many bodies have come in and out of the porta potties. They are gross, smelly, and will not have toilet paper most of the time. So bring your own roll just in case. And maybe some Lysol wipes to wipe the seat.
8. Bring a portable shower! — The site has showers for campers but the wait can be up to 1 hour long. If you’re impatient, I suggest purchasing a portable shower. A portable shower is a bag that you fill with water and hang from a high place. The bottom of the bag has a spout that dispenses the water.
The one I purchased heats up the water with use of solar energy. You fill the shower bag up with water, let it sit under the sun for a few hours, and BAM you have warm water to shower with. They’re efficient and cheap — you can find them for less than $20 here.
9. Car Camping has perks — Despite having to brave the heat and compromise hygiene for a few days, car camping was actually a lot of fun. It’s a great way to meet other festival goers. We were fortunate to have very friendly neighbors who we often had a beer with and even attended a few concerts with us. It’s also nice to have the ability to walk to our campsite to rest/eat between shows.
The campgrounds has a lot of free entertainment for the campers. Here are a few:
– Yoga and Pilates sessions – They’re multiple morning sessions taught by professionals that take place under a shaded structure in the Camping Center
– Beauty Bar and Barber Shop – Ladies can get their hair done and fellahs can get a shave/haircut. FOR FREE.
– SIlent Disco – The dance party continues from 1am-3am under a large dome.
Most activities and events occur at the Camping Center where campers tend to congregate after the last concert. It almost becomes a little city.
10. Have fun! — Coachella expects over 70,000 people in attendance each year. It is one big party with amazing music. You may get overwhelmed at first (I sure was), but take it in, don’t let the a**holes in the crowd bug you, dance your ass off, and enjoy the moment.
Hope my tips inspired you to attend in the future. I’m already itching for next year’s festival 😉
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