Be Prepared for Coachella

Here's a relatively comprehensive guide to preparing yourself for attending the Coachella music and art festival, in Indio, California. After getting yourself there and organizing a sweet place to stay, you'll also need to know what you're allowed to bring in and what to expect when you're there. Most of all, be prepared to have three days of excitement and fun!

Steps

  1. Obtain festival passes. Usually these have to be purchased well in advance, as they sell out quickly once opened for sale. They are also non-transferable and limited to four persons per household. It is not recommended to purchase them from a third party.
    • Festival passes can be purchased online at http://www.coachella.com/festival-passes. Follow the instructions provided there.
    • The festival pass consists of a wristband, which permits general admission for the whole weekend. This pass needs to be worn at all times, including when using the shuttle, parking and camping grounds (see next).
    • If you like, you can register the wristband online. There are benefits to doing this, such as "enhanced customer support, social media features, merchandise specials and potential upgrades."[1]
  2. Purchase relevant passes that will make your time at Coachella easier and more enjoyable. Think lots of cars needing a park and you'll need to get either a pass for parking or car camping or a shuttle pass, or perhaps one of each. There are also passes for camping and there are special travel packages. Check the website address noted in the previous step.
    • Note that passes, decals and related items are usually posted to your home or business address in March, prior to the festival.
    • Note that day parking is free. You are absolutely encouraged to carpool to reduce the number of cars and to help keep this festival as sustainable as possible. Or, take a shuttle.
    • Pedestrian access is available. See the site for details.
  3. Organize your lodgings. There are camping options on site, which consist of car camping, tent camping, campsites at Lake El Dorado and safari tents. There are also plenty of hotels, motels, vacation rentals and offsite camping options within the area.
    • There are also different modes of travel to get there (car, plane, bus). The nearest airport is Bermuda Dunes airport which is 15 minutes from the gate. Van Nuys Airlines (http://vannuysairlines.com) is providing charter flights hourly. The alternative is Palm Springs Airport or taking a shuttle from LAX (1.5 hours).
  4. Prepare for the heat and for your comfort. This is California and even at this time of year, it's going to be considerably hot under the brilliant sunshine, so a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are essential.
    • If you have one, bring a medium (20" tall, 15" wide and 9" thick packed) hiking backpack. You're not allowed to bring in food or water but you can bring in an empty (non-metallic) bottle to fill at the water fountains. It gets hot out there and the main thing you'll want, but won't want to pay for, is water.
    • Bring all the normal hiking gear. You'll be standing and walking around for a good 12 hours each day (the festival generally runs from 11:00am until around 12:30xm). Ideal items to include: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, chapstick, insect repellent, any medication, small face washer or wipes for messes and anything else you think you'll need. And always bring a poncho or raincoat, in case. (Check the weather forecast online for the upcoming days.)
    • Strollers for infants and toddlers are permitted.
    • Bring your dancing shoes. They're totally required and they're permitted.
    • As tempting as it may be to dress eccentrically, (think glitter, skin-tight dresses, skinny jeans, leather, heels, etc.) you will definitely regret it. Anyone who's ever been to a festival will agree that a t-shirt, shorts and sneakers will make a huge impact your ability to unwind and fully enjoy all the sights and sounds.
    • Know what you can and cannot take. There is an extensive list available here: http://www.coachella.com/festival-info. In particular, you might be surprised to find you cannot bring in food, water, a blanket, camel pack, instruments, chairs, no Sharpies or markers, no video cameras and no professional cameras. However, your are allowed to take photos and film video on your iPhone, Android, etc. Things that won't surprise you include no weapons, chains, pets, drugs or fireworks. No umbrellas either because they block people's view.
    • There will be plenty of shade tents to snuggle under together.
  5. Map out the bands and know the site layout before leaving for the festival. It's important to get a good notion of what is happening where and when, so that you don't miss out on the seeing the bands that interest you most.
    • There are so many good bands that you've got to make some tough choices that your friends may not agree with, so be prepared to work out in advance who will see what (and follow the advice in the next step too).
    • The festival map is available online a few days before the event. Be aware that the line-up is always subject to change, so have back-up choices in case.
  6. Coachella has an app in the iTunes store (search Coachella). THIS APP WILL BE VITAL TO KNOWING WHERE AND WHEN ANY BAND WILL BE PERFORMING! Download it and check it often! You won't regret it!
  7. Have emergency contact and meet-up rules in place with your fellow festival goers. It is highly likely that you will get separated during this huge festival. Before going, arrange meet-up points with friends (use the map to signal these clearly to one another) and take your cellphones for quick texting.
    • It can help to make regular meet-up times and meet-up points, even if you aren't lost. That way you can exchange experiences, make changes in plans if warranted and generally check on one another throughout the event's progress.
    • Walkie-talkies are permitted. These might be useful for keeping in touch with your pals.
  8. Nourish yourself prior to entry. Have a big, delicious breakfast to sustain you through a fair way of the day. Coachella has food but it has food at high prices, often accompanied by ridiculously long queues.
    • While food is not permitted into the grounds, you might be able to hide small energy or granola bars, fruit leather chews or pick-me-up candies in your bag but note that these items may be taken from you if found during a bag search.
    • If you have a medical condition that requires special food or food at certain times, such as diabetes or anything else a doctor would recognize as acceptable, get a letter from your doctor to cover this and show it to security when waiting to enter the venue. They will help store any medication and food in a secure area for diabetics. The names on any medication must match your ID.
    • Yes! They sell vegetarian and vegan food at Coachella.
  9. Be on time. The venue gates open at 11am for those wanting to make the absolute most of the day. Plan to be there much earlier for easy entry. For later turn-ups, aim to be there at least several hours before your choice of performances to give you time to get parking and to get through queues, position yourself, etc.
  10. Enjoy Coachella! While there are a lot of things to prepare before arriving, knowing them all and ensuring that you're prepared in advance will make it a worthwhile and fun experience. You'll meet lots of other people who love the bands you do, you'll soak up the buzz and you'll form memories for life. And who knows? You might bump into someone famous.
    • Help make the event more sustainable. Coachella prides itself on being sustainable and it hopes that the attendees will also take this message to heart. Start by using the carpool with cars displaying the sign "Carpoolchella" or taking the shuttle. Bring a non-metallic bottle to refill with water available for free at water fountains. Look for the veggie food. And spread the love––of music and of sharing time with lots of other wonderful human beings.

Tips

  • If you're attending from any country other than the USA, Canada and Mexico, you'll need to collect your pass from Will Call, an offsite location near the festival.
  • The festival is all ages. Children aged 5 and under are free. Whether or not you like the idea of shepherding young children through seething masses of enormously excited teens and adults is quite something else.
  • Whether it's raining or shining, the festival goes ahead. Come prepared.
  • You'll be able to withdraw money from ATMs at Coachella.
  • You can't bring in water guns or misters but there may be some misters for sale at the venue.
  • No passes are sold at the event. Purchase all that you need before attending.
  • Wear your festival pass at all times.
  • If you need lockers, there are some available but not a lot.
  • In case you are worried lost in contact or just don't want to waste time in locating one another, you should get the Folr App or Life360 App on your phone.

Warnings

  • Watch out for random frat guys or coked out hippies, sometimes they attend too.
  • Your wristband is like cash. Treat it as such; if it's lost, stolen or destroyed, it cannot be replaced.
  • No flyers can be passed out within or outside the venue. It's a paper-free, save-trees environment.
  • Items in glass are prohibited as well. People arrive with wine and beer in glass bottles and bottles of salsa for Sunday morning breakfast at their tent, will be asked to dispose of these items before entering the site, which means either dumping or chugging.
  • Tailgating in the parking lots is not permitted.
  • No slipping off the wristband and loaning to a friend. Coachella employees are asked to note whether your wristband is loose enough to slide off your wrist. If they see this, you won't be allowed into the show and you'll be asked to purchase a replacement wristband on-site for additional cost. Ditto for damaged wristbands and being silly enough to put it on too loosely. They're wise to all the tricks.
  • Be prepared to be searched on entry; this is a condition of entry the venue claims as a right.

Things You'll Need

  • Festival pass (wristband) and other relevant passes
  • Online access to register the pass
  • Suitable clothing and footwear
  • Medium backpack (same dimensions as an airline carry-on bag)
  • Allowed items and no disallowed ones
  • Non-professional camera to record great moments
  • Bookings for accommodations
  • Carpool or shuttle plans
  • Excellent place to have breakfast
  • Folr App to locate one another upon separation

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.coachella.com/festival-passes/about-wristbands
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