Music festivals are great opportunities for fans to see multiple artists by spending time and money in one fell swoop. I love going to concerts, and a festival featuring my favorite artists would be a dream come true… but Coachella is NOT that festival.
Out of every festival I’ve heard about, Coachella would have to be at the bottom of my list to attend. It’s too expensive and only worth it if you have thousands of dollars to throw away for one weekend.
The first hurdle is tickets. You have to wait in long online queues for the chance to purchase general admission tickets worth hundreds of dollars for Coachella 2026. These tickets don’t include housing, which would be an additional fee. If you are lucky enough to score first-hand tickets, you’re in the festival. However, hundreds of people each year are scammed out of their money when they arrive at the gate and security turns them away. These attendees have unfortunately already made the trip to the festival, only to be denied entry. Assuming they planned to stay the whole weekend, this means they already paid for housing arrangements as well.
Housing is the second hurdle to seeing your artist, and probably the reason I would most dread attending Coachella. Some housing options for the festival include camping out of your car (which you have to pay for), finding a hotel room in the area or being lucky enough to secure a spot through a friend or a brand deal. These limited options are not for the faint of heart. Festival veterans will most likely choose the cheapest option: car camping. This option doesn’t initially include power, but electricity can be purchased for an additional fee from the festival. I can’t imagine that the camping lot smells anything close to pleasant.
Speaking of smells, public showers are available for those who choose to camp on the Coachella grounds. These gym shower-esque facilities leave much to be desired when camping out for a full weekend. But don’t worry, you can pay for “private” showers, which are separate portable units with air conditioning and better-maintained facilities. Even so, these options aren’t great. Waiting in line to shower? No thank you, I’ll be at home in my own bed.
All these fees, and we haven’t even gotten to the main attractions. Food, drinks and merch are even more expensive, adding to an already steep total. This all adds up quickly, and as a college student, I wouldn’t be willing to fork over that kind of money for this festival.
Coachella is a music festival that has transformed into a social media event rather than a genuine opportunity for people to see their favorite artists. It’s all “outfit checks” and brands trying to get their products onto everyone’s “For You” page. I never see this level of oversaturated influencer content with other festivals.
Coachella is unrealistic for the average person to pull off. Influencers glorify it with their outfits and vlogs of the event, but most people wouldn’t be able to afford multiple new outfits for each day, on top of all the other costs. This event has become something I want no part of, and one that I think could use a serious facelift.
