The Iconic History of Coachella
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of the most popular outdoor festivals in America.
The festival is an annual event, held in Indio, California, and features three full days of entertainment over two consecutive weekends in April.
According to The Press-Enterprise, the line-up of performers stays the same for both weekends, but other differences such as the volume of people, food vendors, and the overall atmosphere can be seen in Weekend 2. Many festival-goers reported a more authentic experience during Weekend 2, as fewer people are there for the aesthetic, and more for the music itself.
Coachella was co-founded by Paul Tollett and the late Rick Van Santen, and the first festival was held in October 1999, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, where it started as a 2-day festival.
According to Brittanica, the festival was unsuccessful in its first year, and the organizers took a year off to reevaluate. The next Coachella festival was held in April 2001 as a 1-day event, to avoid extreme heat issues. The report stated that Coachella returned to its original 2-day set-up for the following year and, in 2010, the third day was added.
Over the years, there have been incredible headliners at Coachella, as the festival has a multiple-stage layout to maximize entertainment. Artists such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Guns N’ Roses, Madonna, Kendrick Lamar, Amy Winehouse, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, Daft Punk, and more.
Many artists even take to the Coachella stage to debut new music, like FISHER who performed his single “Losing It” in 2019, and Harry Styles in 2022 who performed unreleased songs at the time such as, “Late Night Talking” and “Boyfriends”.
Coachella’s long-term success has also garnered the support of many brand sponsors. According to the Coachella website, the 2024 festival partners include Neutrogena, White Claw, Postmates, BMW, and others.
Not only have the marketing strategies put Coachella’s name on the map, but the attendees have as well. Thousands of eager music fans follow the festival events each year in hopes of seeing posts by their favorite artists, as well as influencers and celebrities. Social media influencers like James Charles, Charli D’Amelio, and Emma Chamberlain, as well as celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Alessandra Ambrosio, have dressed to impress for this iconic festival!
From the music to the pool parties, and of course, the killer festival fashion, Coachella has proven to be worth the hype.
This year’s festival is being hosted April 12-14, and April 19-21. The lineup is stacked with artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Lil Uzi Vert, J Balvin, and more.
Stay tuned for all the best 2024 celebrity looks to come and tune in to the YouTube livestream of the festival. To those who will be celebrating in person… Happy Coachella!