Coachella takes place every year on the Polo Fields in Indio, CA surrounded by mountains and palm trees. Music and art can be discovered while wandering around the desert plains under the hot, California sky or the setting pink sun.

Getting There

Coachella by Air
If you are flying, the closest airport to fly into is the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), about half an hour northwest of the festival. Alternatively, the festival is about a three hour drive southeast of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), or a two hour drive northeast from San Diego International Airport (SAN).

NOTE: I recommend flying into the San Diego International Airport. There is less traffic heading to the festival from San Diego than from Los Angeles and the drive is absolutely beautiful.

Coachella by Road

If you are driving, there are plenty of signs once you get to Palm Springs directing you to the festival and campgrounds entrance. That, combined with Google Maps, makes it very easy to find.

Full driving directions to the festival from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Arizona can be found here.

Carpooling is highly encouraged by Coachella and, decorating your car advertising your “carpoolchella,” can even win you VIP upgrades and passes for the future.

Coachella by Shuttle
Shuttle passes can be purchased to ensure your arrival by bus. There are also taxi and uber stands set up entering and exiting the festival.

Where to Stay

Camping: Camping passes can be purchased with your festival ticket for $85. Your location, from what I can tell, is based on luck. If you are camping, I would recommend bringing a shade tent of sorts as shelter from the hot sun midday will be crucial to you making it through the festival without sunstroke. Another fantastic option for camping at Coachella is to rent a JUCY RV. It provides an easy set-up and luxurious option while camping.

Glamping: Coachella offers two premium camping experiences with the Lake Eldorado and Safari Tents options. Lake Eldorado pricing starts at $2,400 and the Safari Tent experience costs upwards of $7,500.

Off-Site Accommodation: There are plenty of hotels and Airbnb’s to choose from within close proximity to the festival. Curadora is the festival’s official partner for hotel accommodations and provides options ranging from $60 to $500 per night. Book early though as these will fill up fast.

Off-site camping is also available at local parks. The parks’ distance from the festival grounds range from three miles to 75 miles at Joshua Tree National Park.

Good to Know Camping Info

On-site camping opens at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday and closes at 10:00 a.m. on Monday each weekend.

No car exit is permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

Camping is 18+

Friends arriving later can park separately at the Coachella parking lot and then come meet you at your campsite.

No glass bottles are permitted – I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people chugging a bottle of Fireball because they can’t bring it in.

Go here for a more detailed list of the Coachella camping rules.

Art

Art is a huge component of the festival and adds to the magic of it all. The art is different from year to year and appears to have a theme running throughout the grounds. The art is worth taking time to explore, whether it’s on your way into a show, or on your way out, your experiences with the pieces can change based on what time of day you are exploring them.

Do Lab: The Do Lab Stage began as an interactive art piece but grew in such popularity of the years that it now curates its own lineup, different depending on which weekend you attend. It is also one of the most fun stages and best parties at Coachella.

Food

The gastronomy of Coachella has become incredibly drool-wrothy of the years. From sit-down restaurants with renowned chefs and reservations required, to vendors boasting burgers, burritos, hot dogs and pizza, there is something available to satisfy whatever you are craving. Of course, the festival has fantastic vegetarian and vegan options, and plenty of fresh fruit to mow down on.

Don’t forget to get that juicy slice of watermelon and keep an eye out for the gourmet popsicle stand.

Beverages

Being an all-ages event, alcoholic beverages can only be purchased and consumed in the beer gardens. Keep this in mind if there is a show you do not want to miss. Coachella also now has a Craft Beer Garden with fantastic options for those interested in drinking something with a little bit more taste to it then Heineken.

For a refreshing, non-alcoholic option, try one of the lemonades that can be purchased at the different stands throughout the grounds. Water can also be purchased here for $2 per bottle.

Water refill stations can be found throughout the grounds. Give yourself extra time if you are choosing to refill your hydration pack as the lineups at the refill stations can be quite long.

My Advice

Find the Do Lab stage! Do Lab curates a fantastic lineup of up and comers and well established DJs, and the energy here is on a whole other level. From water fights to pyrotechnics, to dancers and acrobats, the Do Lab stage feels more like a house party on acid and you are guaranteed to have a fun time here. Keep an eye out for the surprise DJ announcements. 2016 saw surprise sets by Bob Moses, RÜfÜS DU SOL and Major Lazer, to name a few.

If you need a break from the sun and the heat, head over to the Yuma Tent. It’s an air-conditioned tent that also has a killer lineup of house music, cushions to chill out on and, that is where you will find the infamous disco shark.

But be careful because getting Yuma’d is a thing. You can lose complete and total sense of time in the Yuma tent.

Don’t be married to your schedule. Some of my favourite artists have been discovered going with the flow of things at Coachella.

The ferris wheel is much more magical at night. However the lineup is also much longer.

Coachella has become synonymous with fashion over the years, inspiring trends for the upcoming spring and summer season. Remember though, you are at a festival in the middle of the desert. Makeup sweats off quickly (even while you’re sitting around in the shade), and you are looking at walking and dancing for many hours throughout the day and night. Personally, I have found dresses and dust masks to be good to me.

If you are camping:
After six times attending Coachella, I still haven’t figured out their thought process behind filling up camping spots. That being said, I would still try and arrive early as that gives you an extra day in the campgrounds, meeting people and exploring the market area with all the different activities and games it has to offer.

Do the Silent Disco your first night camping. This took me four years to figure out.

Hydration is key. It’s better to bring in too much water than too little water.

Lower your EZ-Ups and shade tents before heading into the festival if there are high wind advisories. Weekend 2 of 2016 saw quite the disaster with EZ-Ups being whipped across the campgrounds, and tents being mangled by the high winds.

Remember: You are camping in a desert so as soon as that sun pops its bright head over the mountains, your tent will become a sauna and sleep will become near impossible. But it does get quite chilly at night.