Coachella Advice?

[Jelly Belly]

It's looking likely that i'll be in California next April and we're looking to tie it in with Coachella. Having never been before, what would the advice of those who have been before? First of all, how long does it take to drive from L.A to Palm Springs? Would you recommend Hotel or camping? What are the drinking policies like compared to a UK Festival? Just general Coachella experiences really.

[Babyquack]

Now I've never been (I know of very few who actually have from the uk - TheWayIAm being the only one from Efests, so I'd give him a shout!), but from my mates experiences, don't go expecting o get drunk heavily as it just doesn't happen there and don't be going expecting mosh pits as most of the crowds are pretty dead for the acts who would be considered big over here apparently... HOWEVER, they all say that the atmosphere is still really pleasant and it's a great festival experience! If you're over there, it's definitely worth looking into as it always has a stellar lineup!

[jadel74]

It's looking likely that i'll be in California next April and we're looking to tie it in with Coachella. Having never been before, what would the advice of those who have been before? First of all, how long does it take to drive from L.A to Palm Springs? Would you recommend Hotel or camping? What are the drinking policies like compared to a UK Festival? Just general Coachella experiences really.

[Jelly Belly]

My first and best suggestion will be to read all of the FAQs on Coachella.com. Also check the message boards...at this point, there is little to no need to start new threads. Preetty much every question you can have about the festival itself is in there somewhere.

Drive from LA to Palm Springs is about three hours, depending on traffic. LA has the worst traffic I've ever sat in. If you're flying in, I would suggest flying into Ontario, CA (ONT) versus flying into LAX. ONT is on the outside of LA and generally easier to drive into the festival from.

Hotel or Camping: this depends on your budget, want your experience to be like and how comfortable you need to be. I rent a house because I need a bed and a toilet and a nice shower, plus the pool we have is nice for cooling off. Keep in mind that you will be in the desert, and it gets hot out there in April. If you camp, you will be camping on grass. You can either car camp (meaning, you park your car and camp with it) or tent camp (you park your car in a lot and pitch your tent elsewhere). If you go the first weekend, you'll have much nicer grass to camp on than the second weekend. The biggest complaint I hear about camping is that you get woken up at 7am from the burning sun. But as I understand it, the potties and showers are more than sufficient for the weekend. Bonus is that it's easy to cut out of the festival and go back to your campsite to grab food or drinks or whatever.

Booze: booze policies suck, honestly. You can bring in a 'reasonable' amount of alcohol into the campgrounds but not into the festival itself. If you do drink in the festival, you have to drink in the beer gardens. You cannot walk around with booze. This isn't a festival policy, it's a city ordinance. Beers are NOT cheap and will run you about $7 each. I sneak in vodka in my bag every year and then store it in my locker all weekend and just hit it up when necessary to avoid paying the high prices.

Another word about drinking--you will be in the desert. Growing up in the desert, I learned at a pretty young age that it's probably best to save your binging for when the sun goes down. The sun is hot and dry, and you will dehydrate immediately. Drinking only further dehydrates you. If you do need to drink during the day, drink a bottle of water after every two beers. This will keep you hydrated. I see amateurs every year passed out sick with sun poisoning or dehydration because they went too hard in the sun.

[jadel74]

Thanks for the advice Jadel, that's really appreciated. We're heading over on our honeymoon so we'll not be looking to get wasted but it is nice to have a beer whilst watching bands but I'm sure we'll get used to it. We're thinking Hotels as accomodation too be honest, we'd have enough to pack anyway let alone bringing over camping gear. Does it sell out pretty quickly? Say like Glastonbury over here? I'll check out the FAQ page on the Coahella page as well, thanks again

[Jelly Belly]

Honeymoon? By all means, get wasted. Just drink plenty of water along with it so you don't get sick. That's the biggest mistake you can make there is not drinking water.

The two years prior to this last year, the festival sold out in hours. This last year, it didn't sell out quite as quickly. I feel like, if the lineup rumours are true, that it will sell out quickly again. Be ready when the tickets go on sale, probably in early to mid January. Weekend 2 will be a bit easier to get than Weekend 1. I personally prefer Weekend 1; I like the surprises and the fresh green grass that goes along with going the first weekend.

If you want to get a hotel, start looking now. Hotels near the festival grounds are probably already sold out (although you might find that the more expensive ones still have availability). The company that runs the shuttle service also sells Coachella packages; you can get your ticket, the hotel room, and a shuttle all in one package. If you can afford it, thats a nice option. The shuttle leaves from your hotel once every half hour or so and runs back every 30-60 minutes after the festival is over. Palm Springs is the farthest out you'd want to stay (its about a 30 minute drive), however the rooms will be a bit cheaper, and you can always take the Palm Springs shuttle into the festival so you don't have to worry about driving.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Jelly Belly

[jadel74]

The latest is that "all the headliners are nearly secure"...which is actually odd for Coachella since they don't usually have that locked up that early. In any case, we know one is Depeche Mode, we're 90% that one is NIN, and we're like 80% that one is Arcade Fire (last we heard, Arcade Fire has asked to play and the ball is in the festival's court as to whether or not they do...and GV has a serious bromance with Arcade Fire). Probably no Daft Punk. Probably Neutral Milk Hotel. The Replacements wouldn't surprise me.

Go regardless of the headliners. It's one of the best festivals in the world. 2014 will be my 9th Coachella and my husband's 11th. Feel free to keep in contact and ask me anything.

[Jelly Belly]

The latest is that "all the headliners are nearly secure"...which is actually odd for Coachella since they don't usually have that locked up that early. In any case, we know one is Depeche Mode, we're 90% that one is NIN, and we're like 80% that one is Arcade Fire (last we heard, Arcade Fire has asked to play and the ball is in the festival's court as to whether or not they do...and GV has a serious bromance with Arcade Fire). Probably no Daft Punk. Probably Neutral Milk Hotel. The Replacements wouldn't surprise me.

Go regardless of the headliners. It's one of the best festivals in the world. 2014 will be my 9th Coachella and my husband's 11th. Feel free to keep in contact and ask me anything.