Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
- The Coachella Music & Arts Festival takes place over two weekends in April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
- I decided to go to Coachella for the first time this year.
- While I loved the musical performances and felt that the event was well-organized, I probably won't be attending again as it is too much hassle to arrange all the logistics — and too much money to attend the festival.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories or check out more of our coverage on this year's edition of Coachella.
I'll be honest: I never really thought I'd go to the Coachella Music & Arts Festival.
Living in New York, I never thought it made much sense to ship out to Indio, California, for one of Coachella's two weekends of music and fun.
That's without getting into what Coachella is supposedly about, which, according to varying reports, is both a glittering entertainment-industry party and a bunch of Orange County teenagers skipping school to drink. The weekend has become such an event for social media influencers, models, and celebrities that some have dubbed it the "influencer Olympics."
When Business Insider asked me to cover the festival, I was determined to go in with as little preconceived notions as possible. And, with this year's Coachella lineup featuring Childish Gambino, Anderson .Paak, Janelle Monae, and Tame Impala, some of my favorite artists, it was hard to not get amped up.
By the end of the weekend, I had seen some incredible performances, discovered amazing new artists, found my way into an ultra-exclusive afterparty, danced the night away at a hidden stage, and was convinced I probably wouldn't ever come back.
Here's what it was like:
My journey to Coachella was a long one. I flew from New York on the Wednesday before the festival because the airfare was cheaper, rented a car, and then drove out Friday morning. I had heard horror stories about the traffic, with some saying the two-hour drive takes seven hours or more. It ended up taking me three.Harrison Jacobs/Business InsiderBefore I could go to the festival, however, I had to stop in Indian Wells, a town near Indio, where attendees pick up their Coachella wristbands. The lines moved quickly, but it was still a pain to have to go to a separate town just to get my wristband.Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
Before I could go to the festival, I still had to drive 30 minutes to Palm Springs. Lodging is the most expensive part of Coachella. Even budget hotels charge $350 or more a night. By staying in Palm Springs, I was able to stay at a boutique hotel called the Hideaway Hotel for $379 a night. The hotel looked like a Mad Men set.Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
In order to save some moolah, I had done some grocery shopping in Los Angeles so I could eat breakfast and snacks each day before going to the festival grounds.
Source: Hideaway Hotel
The festival offers an $80 shuttle to take festivalgoers back and forth between hotels outside Indio and the concert. The ride from Palm Springs took an hour with traffic and the shuttle was full of rambunctious college kids drinking beers. There was a near mutiny when the bus bathroom door didn't open. Thankfully, we made it to the grounds before people started peeing in bottles.Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
The shuttle drops festival-goers about a half-mile away from the entrance to the grounds. As soon as you step off the shuttle, you can feel the energy buzzing in the air. Attendees were jumping up and down and shouting in excitement as they walked — or maybe they just needed to pee.Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Tickets to Coachella cost $429, but one photo I took at the festival shows why it's worth the money if you love the headlining acts
- I went to Coachella for the first time. The most underrated part of the festival is how good the organizers are at picking what times musicians perform.
- There's a $1,000 price difference for a room in the 'world's most luxurious hotel' and its 5-star sister hotel next door. I stayed in both to see how they compare — and the winner was clear
