Surviving Coachella: The Rundown of the 2019 Coachella Experience

I survived Coachella and I’m here to tell you all about my 2019 Coachella experience (Weekend 2)! I was kind of surprised to find out that there are a handful of people who have no idea what Coachella is. So I’m going to dive into what Coachella is and then explain my overall experience!

What is Coachella?!

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three day music festival (Friday-Sunday) in the Colorado desert of Indio, California. It is one of the most largest, most famous, and most profitable music festival in the United States. The festival started back in 1993. It takes place in the desert at the Empire Polo Club. Coachella consists of two weekends, Weekend 1 and 2, which have the same music lineup!

Weekend 1: busy, celebrities, lots of guest performers

Weekend 2: still busy, some celebs, guests still come out (from my experience last year every person came out the second weekend from Weekend 1. This year not every guest came out from Weekend 1, but there were different guests! Weekend 2 got KANYE and Weekend 1 didn’t so both weekends are equally fun!)

The music festival has a variation of different genres spread throughout the line up and featured on large stages and smaller stages. You can catch performers in hip hop, indie, and EDM, to name a few genres. There are multiple artists on at different stages at the same times so you have to choose wisely who you want to see, if there is a conflict.

There are different art exhibits spread throughout the music festival that change annually. There are also secret tiki bars, a ferris wheel, bar areas, and real bathrooms (which is a huge plus because most music festivals only have porta potties. I’ve only been to one other festival that had real bathrooms so it is a rare occasion lol). The headliners for Coachella 2019 were Tame Impala, Childish Gambino, and Ariana Grande!

Where to Stay and Transportation

There are many options for accomodations, but you need to act quick! The music festival has camping and glamping options, which I am unfamiliar with. I did get the chance to hang out on the campgrounds on Thursday and it looks like a lot of fun! They have many activities and plenty of food. Coachella also is linked to specific hotels listed on their website that provide a shuttle service to and from the music festival. I stayed in Coachella linked hotels this year and last year. I enjoyed staying in a hotel because both years it was a heat wave and I would not have survived a heat wave camping! Plus being in the desert you get covered in a blanket of dust so it’s nice to have a shower and a comfy bed after a long day!

Airbnb’s are always an option if you have larger groups. However, keep in mind you will have to worry about transportation. Transportation can get really crazy, in pricing and driving time due to festival traffic. The shuttle pass is really a blessing! It’s about $45 and it brings you to and from the festival. Most of the hotels (or all the ones I ever stayed at) were around 30 minutes from the festival so you really are saving a lot of money on transportation with this option!

The Awesome, The Good, and the Ugly

This year we were smart enough to spend a few extra days in California so we could relax before the festival! This was a game changer because when the festival started...we were well rested and ready to go! The game plan was always to get all the pictures taken when we first got in the festival so we wouldn’t have to stress about it later on and just enjoy the music! All of the art exhibits were really cool! There was an astronaut, a spaceship, 7 rings (on the last day), and the rainbow walk up with A/C!

The best part of my Coachella experience was meeting DJ Snake backstage and getting to talk to him. We also got to see his set backstage which was insanely amazing. It is really cool that I had the opportunity to meet him because he’s the first DJ I ever saw with Sam. And it brings back so many emotions every time I see him perform. We were laughing backstage about how I saw him so many years ago at Electric Carnival on the Jersey Shore (I believe that was the name of the event)!

Tame Impala was another artist that was really special for me. My sister, Mimi, introduced me to Tame Impala years ago at a music festival and I just have grown so much love for Tame’s music. It was so emotional to see Tame Impala up close and with all my sisters! Plus the light show was out of this world! Tame Impala could never disappoint! Even the group of girls next to me were crying of happiness haha! AND HE BROUGHT OUT A$AP ROCKY TO SING L$D!!!!! Can you tell I love him?!

Kanye’s Sunday Service on Easter was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I experienced it. It was so enjoyable to hear the orchestra and choir mix in their gospel music with some of Kanye’s classic songs. This experience was three hours of gospel music in the beautiful sun laying on a blanket. It was powerful, beautiful, and very spiritual!

There were so many unreal and amazing performances! Kid Cudi brought out Kanye and killed his set! I really loved Ariana Grande, Weezer, Zedd, and Khalid to name a few. Dillon Francis had me dancing my ass off !

Despite all of this awesomeness, Coachella is not as glamorous as you may think. The weather was 100 degrees fahrenheit during the day and at night there was dust blowing around everywhere. I’m sitting at home still recovering from this experience! As fun as it is, it takes a toll on your body! I know because my whole crew got sick this year and last year after the festival. Your body hurts, your lungs hurt, your congested, and most likely dehydrated. So take care of yourself to the best of your abilities and be aware that all the awesomeness, good, and ugly are part of the experience!