Coachella Comes Alive In Desert Dreams
Throughout the past two decades, Coachella has established itself as more than just a music festival; from holograms to historic reunions, it’s transformed into a global stage where pop culture is not just reflected, but shaped. There’s a certain internet frenzy inspired by the festival that surrounds and cements its influence— but behind the mythos is a legacy of iconic moments that defined artist careers and changed the music industry. In the upcoming October 2025 release Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella, Billboard’s senior music correspondent Katie Bain documents and reflects on Coachella’s most era-defining moments and explores its impact, both within the music industry and beyond.
Like any other viral phenomenon, Coachella’s popularity invites critique. The immediacy of the internet allows everyone to evaluate the performances and festival atmosphere against seemingly extortionate prices— if it’s “worth it” to pay twelve dollars for fries if it means you get to see Clairo bring Bernie Sanders out as a special guest. Bain doesn’t deny the festival’s faults, but she explains that “it’s always been about the music.” This is practically the thesis of the book. It’s split into seven sections that document everything from the history to the fashion of Coachella, but the festival’s importance in music history and culture remains at the centerfold.
Desert Dreams functions as not only a written history of Coachella, but a visual one. Archival images of the earliest rock headliners and striking photos of some of the most historic performances bring the narrative to life and highlight how textured the festival truly is. In an era where things can become flattened through social media and Instagram carousels, the visuals remind readers of Coachella’s fluidity— as a space that has hosted everything from Beyoncé’s landmark Homecoming set to long-awaited reunions by bands like Pavement and Mazzy Star.
Diving into personal or digital archives and compiling some of the most iconic moments in Coachella’s history, Bain curates a festival history that feels at once comprehensive and deeply personal. Her goal is clear: to remind readers that at the center of all the hype and critique lies a festival that genuinely deserves its prestige. Desert Dreams positions Coachella not simply as an annual desert party, but as a cultural institution — one whose influence on music and style continues to ripple far beyond Los Angeles.“It’s one of the greatest festivals in the world,” she says. “It hasn’t gotten that reputation for nothing.”
Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella will be published on October 21, 2025 by Epic Publishing.