I want to disclaimer this post by saying I had an awesome time at Coachella. I think everyone should go at least once. It’s where art, fashion, food and the music scene all come together with palm trees as the backdrop.
That being said, I do feel that Instagram only shows one side (the extremely cool and photogenic side) of the event. I also think Instagram manages to act like everyone in the world was there. Can someone say #FOMO? What sparked this post was realizing that behind all the prep work I had done, there are some realities that the glamorized event forgets to mention.
1. You’re going to walk– a lot.
Over the course of the 3 days, I walked 20 MILES. And not just 20 miles, but 20 miles in the dust, grass, and dirt. I wore Converse day one, moved to a “comfortable” platform sneaker (see look below) day two, and was back in sneakers by day 3. Do yourself a favor and seriously just find trendy sneakers. Those people rocking the high heels & sandals? Not sure how they manage not to kill their feet.
2. There’s smoke & dust EVERYWHERE. (You really need that bandana)
While you might not have seen me rocking a bandana in any of my Instagram photos, it was hiding away. One of the tips I received was that I needed a bandana due to all the dust. I didn’t quite understand the magnitude of that until I was immersed in a crowd and couldn’t breath. Looking back, I wish that I had ordered a heavy duty bandana and not a fashionable one. But the point is, be ready to become a dust bunny by the end of the night.
3. Not everyone’s Coachella experience is created equal
Of course there is the difference between GA & VIP (I’ll get into that in a future post). But then there are levels of VIP. You’re not going to be schmoozing with celebrities most likely even if you are in VIP. The VIP section even has a VIP section. You favorite celebrity or blogger might be rocking the craziest of shoes and looking flawless AF, but that could be because they get to spend most of their day in a private tent… just saying!
4. It’s not just 3 days, it’s more like 5
The official festival starts Friday at 11 AM and runs until 1 AM on Monday. While technically it’s a 3 day festival, you really are going to need to be there 5-6 days. Most people try to arrive on Thursday, and then leave Monday. The plus side about that is that Palm Springs & Palm Desert are close by so you can have a spa/ pool day and just hang.
5. Getting there & leaving is going to be stressful AF
There’s a couple of ways to get to and from Coachella. You could take an Uber, a shuttle, or drive. But here’s the issue – most of the streets around Coachella are blocked off so think major traffic. And once your shuttle/ driver/uber drops you off, you’re still going to have quite a walk to the entrance. On top of that if you’re leaving during peak hours, expect to spend 1-2 hours trying to leave. If you have a VIP ticket, it’s a bit of a simpler process but still time consuming. I was completely NOT prepared for the crazy commute.
Have you been to Coachella? What was the most surprising element to you?
Glad you got the bandana! My coworker got a lung infection last year due to all the dust. And yes to comfortable shoes! I was all about the comfort when I went in 2010.
So we all know Queen Bey was amazing. What other acts stood out to you?
oh my gosh!! That is absolutely crazy – I guess though I’m not surprised with all that dust. Queen Bey was great, also liked Kygo, Portugal the Man, Vance Joy …and of course Eminem.
Dope post. I honestly thought people could survive all day with those little bags. Good to know the truth 😀
Thanks for reading girl! Definitely don’t think they can survive! LOL
VIP is definitely worth it! So glad you had fun 🙂
Hehe so glad we got to experience Coachella for the first time together! The only thing I would add to this post is the vicious “coachella cough” you get after the festival lol I finally am not coughing anymore!!
omg same girl! And yes… I forgot about that since I had my bandana LOL