Coachella Survival Guide for the complete beginner
Nothing says springtime is here like Coachella!
This fantastic festival season is one all music lovers enjoy. While the moment leading to Coachella is fun for experienced festival-goers, it can be worrying for the inexperienced.
This is why we bring you the ultimate Coachella survival guide for the complete beginner
Ultimate Coachella Survival Guide
Before we even hop into it, don't forget the most important tip to having a great time at Coachella: Have fun, meet people and enjoy your time.
Of course, here are a few tips to help you have a smooth and fun time at Coachella
Arrive On Time
It would help if you planned to arrive at Coachella several hours before it starts. While we can't say a specific time for when you should arrive at Coachella, allow us to do some quick math:
It's a 260 miles trip back and forth from Downtown LA to the Empire Polo Club. Since it costs about $6 for gas in LA, driving yourself shouldn't cost more than $60 for 2 hours,15 minutes drive each way.
Plus, you get to see artists at various after-parties between week one and week 2.
Arriving on time at Coachella gives you enough opportunity to find the perfect spot for you and your friends.
There are tons of events in and around the park to keep you busy till Friday. You can keep yourself occupied with a few events in and around Palm springs like Pop up palm springs
Also, here are five events that are going on around Coachella in LA: It’s deemed “Nochella” to attend these events :)
- Poppy x Revolve
- Desert Gold
- T-Mobile & Pandora Indio Invasion
- Tao x Revolve Desert Nights
- Deep in the Desert
Rent a comfortable space
If it's your first time at Coachella, then you will want to do the ritual of staying on a campsite so that you can get the whole Coachella experience.
However, it would help to rent a good hotel for more than one night. An average hotel that's 10 miles away costs $759 per night. You can also get weekend packages starting from $3k+ or an Airbnb for you and your friends.
When picking your space, go for one closest to the fairground. Some hotels are within 20-30 minutes away. Also, don’t forget to pick a comfortable place with enough room for everyone.
Dress Comfortably
Another survival tip you should adhere to is to dress comfortably. It can be pretty sunny, so you want to wear light clothes, shorts.
Not only that but also shoes. If you want to have a great time at Coachella, wear comfortable shoes that you can stand in for hours as you'll be standing for a long time.
Stock up food and drinks
If it's your first time at Coachella, here are some excellent spots to get good food at the Coachella festival:
Also, regardless of where you're staying, ensure that you also stock up on your favorite food and drinks.
If you decide to make your food yourself, you can find a couple of good food ideas to make for Coachella here.
Although you can't bring food into the main arena, you can enjoy your meal at the camping site or leave the campgrounds to enjoy one of these restaurants.
Pack the essentials
Want to have a good time at Coachella?
The following essentials would help guarantee that:
- Water bottle: You’re bound to get dehydrated after standing for a long time in the sun, so bring along your filled water bottle.
- Earplugs: It can get deafening in Coachella, so you need your earplugs. Especially if you want to keep on enjoying concerts and festivals for a long time. As earplugs help minimize the noise while you keep on enjoying the music. You can find more information on music earplugs here
- Battery Pack: A battery pack is another essential you don’t want to forget. It can be a scary experience not being able to contact your friends, especially after splitting up.
- Sunscreen: Sunscreen is a must unless you want to get sunburns, so don’t forget them. Sunscreen serves as excellent coverage, especially since you’re going to be under the sun for a long time.
- You should get sunscreen with at least 30 SPF. You want to ensure that you're reapplying your sunscreen every 2 hours if you spend the whole day in the sun. This is because it can get as hot as 91F in Coachella. There's no possibility of humidity, and it's a straight dry heat, so you should focus on wearing sufficient sunscreen.
- Hands-free bag: There are new bag rules in town, so you want to make sure you get a festival-approved clear bag. The best way to have a good time while dancing is to have all your possessions in one place. You can find durable and cute bags here.
Bring enough cash
It cost about $442 for a Coachella ticket. You also have to pay for housing, gas, and plane tickets which cost around $90.
For each day, take enough cash to last you for the day. The perfect amount to take all depends on what you're buying. The last thing you want to be worrying about at Coachella is an ATM. However, you can find ATMs at various locations in the venue and close to the general stores in camping. There are times when you might have to pay for unforeseen expenses, so ensure to be on the safe side.
Socialize
Socializing is one of the best parts of Coachella, so don't miss out. While hanging out with your friends is excellent, there are so many unique personalities you could meet at Coachella. So spread your wings and meet people.
Stick together but go with the flow
While socializing is fun, don't forget to stick to your friends. It is an impossible task to look for someone at Coachella. Have a meetup time and point in between sets, so you don't end up looking for each other for hours! There are usually over 250,000 people at Coachella, so you know how impossible it is to look for someone…
Of course! As long as you know where your crew is, enjoy the experience and be happy to meet others!
Plan your ride
Uber rides get expensive because of the surge in people trying to get one, usually four times the regular rate. That's not all! You have to queue for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before getting one.
So plan your ride ahead of time and arrange for a pickup. You can also use a shuttle, then get off and order an Uber.
There’s also option b! You can rent a bike and use it as your means of transportation!
There you have it, the Coachella survival guide for the complete beginner. Don't forget the most important tip, which is: have fun, meet people and enjoy your time.
