What it’s like to go to Coachella for the first time

I was in the middle of outlining a term paper on a late Wednesday night when I received a call from my friend Madison. I stopped researching journalism ethics and frantically tried to locate my ringing phone amongst the stack of papers, textbooks, and post-its strewn across my desk.

I answer the call with a distracted “hey” as I attempt to put the cap back on my highlighter with one hand. All Madison said was, “Wanna rally and go to Coachella Weekend 2 with me?”

On the phone, I sounded confident and adventurous when I responded with a simple, “Yeah!”

My response seemed to be given without a second thought, but that proved to be a façade when a million questions whirled through my head in a panic. This would be my first Coachella. What would I wear? How would I get my ticket? Which acts would I see? Would I survive the 95,000 person crowd without feeling suffocated? How many flash tats are socially acceptable to wear these days? I had no idea what to expect.

First off, there’s a certain stress placed on finding flawless Coachella outfits that perfectly embody the bohemian spirit of a music festival. In a mere two days, my Instagram feed would soon be flooded with pictures of my Weekend 1-attending friends in Free People-esque dresses, unique crop tops, and intricate rompers.

Bolo ties, chokers, and flash tattoos were accessories sure to be thrown in the mix. I felt underprepared to debut the festival version of me. People plan their outfits for months, and here I was with roughly a week to get my shit together. Where do you even get this stuff?

Upon attending the festival, I soon learned that as cliché as it is, comfort is key. Dress up in what makes you feel great, too — and don’t worry, no one really cares about what shoes you wear or where your bodysuit is from. Sure, I noticed and commented on a spectacular outfit here and there, but the festival’s atmosphere is all about inclusiveness and good vibes.

These festival-goers are so friendly that I was almost taken aback by it. Coachella truly had a beautiful energy. Everyone’s here to have a good time and unite under a common love for great music, and no one’s judging you on your appearance (or dance moves).

Another thing I was quick to notice was the quality of artist performances throughout the weekend. As I made my way to different stages and theaters each day, not only was every single artist spectacular live, but they put on a real performance as well.

Their stage backdrops and decorations were captivating and unique to that particular artist. Some performers even had confetti, balloons, or a fog machine blast out into the crowd during a popular song. The stage was similar to a normal concert performance but amplified with more detail or decorations for the large-scale festival stage.

Artists didn’t just sing well; they put on a fantastic performance by heavily interacting with the crowd and having their dance moves down to a tee.

There’s a stage for everyone at Coachella. Whether you love alternative, EDM, or rap, you’ll find a stage for you. Dance to underground EDM artists at the DoLaB stage, listen to your radio favorites at the Coachella stage, or sing along to alternative ballads in the Mojave tent. There’s a great variety of genres and it’s never too crowded at one particular stage. 

Create your own schedule on the official Coachella app so you never miss those artists you’ve been dying to see. Try visiting all of the stages and tents — who knows, you may find a new favorite artist.

My personal festival highlights included seeing Rae Sremmurd live and eating Free Range’s organic tempura chicken sandwich. Also, I got to witness the general kindness and positive atmosphere of Coachella firsthand. My friend Ian lost his phone the second day of Coachella, and was devastated. Immediately, he began to think the worst — he thought his phone was either stolen or completely wrecked on the floor of the Sahara tent.

We ended up calling his phone, and a friendly voice excitedly answered, “Hey! We have your phone, dude! Where are you? We’ll meet you!” After telling our phone savior where we were, the man ran over to us and greeted us all with a giant bear hug. “Here’s your phone! I’m so glad we found you. Keep the good vibes going! Pass it on!”

Everyone told me that once you go to Coachella once, you go every year. They told me I would get hooked, and I didn’t take them seriously. Well, here I am, and I’m hooked. I’ll see you next year out in Indio with a bandana and strawberry popsicle in hand.