The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is the most photographed, most talked-about, and most culturally influential music festival in the world. Every April, the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California transforms into a temporary city of 125,000 people per day. Weekend 1 (April 10–12) and Weekend 2 (April 17–19) have identical lineups.
Tickets: What They Cost and How to Get Them
Coachella general admission passes cost $549 for a 3-day weekend pass. GA+ passes ($749) include premium viewing areas. VIP passes ($1,049) add access to exclusive lounges. Tickets go on sale in June for the following year's festival and sell out within hours.
Pro Tip: Weekend 2 tickets are slightly easier to get than Weekend 1 and the experience is identical. If you can only get Weekend 2, don't hesitate.
Getting There: Flights to Palm Springs
Fly into Los Angeles (LAX), San Diego (SAN), or Ontario (ONT) and rent a car or take a shuttle. From New York, flights to LAX start at $149 round trip. From Chicago, $129. From Miami, $159. From Dallas, $119. The drive from LAX to Indio is 2.5 hours.
Surviving the Desert: Heat, Hydration & Packing
The Coachella Valley in April is genuinely hot — daytime temperatures regularly hit 95–105°F (35–40°C). Essential survival gear: a high-quality reusable water bottle, SPF 50+ sunscreen applied every 2 hours, a wide-brim hat, a portable fan or misting bottle, electrolyte packets, and light, breathable clothing.
Pro Tip: The Coachella app has the full lineup, stage times, and an interactive map. Download it before you arrive and use it offline — cell service inside the grounds is unreliable.
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Best Time to Visit
Coachella 2026 runs April 10–12 and 17–19. The Coachella Valley in April averages 30–35°C (86–95°F) during the day but cools to 15–18°C at night. Sunscreen and layers are essential.
Weekend 1
Apr 10–12, 2026
Slightly harder to get tickets. The first weekend has extra energy and is the most photographed.
Weekend 2
Apr 17–19, 2026
Identical lineup to Weekend 1. Slightly easier to get tickets. Both weekends are equally great.
Desert Climate
April
Hot days (30–35°C) and cool nights (15–18°C). Apply SPF 50+ every 2 hours. Bring layers for the evening sets.
Bottom Line
Coachella is genuinely one of the world's great festival experiences — the combination of world-class music, extraordinary art, and the unique energy of the California desert creates something that's hard to replicate anywhere else.
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