Rock, Jazz, Soul, Hip-hop, and especially electro you will find your favorite artists at Chella! Close your eyes and let yourself be lulled by the sublime story of the biggest boho festival in the world: Coachella...😍
At this point, I think you've already heard of Chella, even if you don't know exactly all the mysteries behind it. You've probably seen the beautiful boho dresses that go with it? Or maybe you've heard about the artists who make the headlines like Ariana Grande? But I think you must have seen the AMAZING photos of the Instagram celebrities who come every year to take their best poses for their social network.
If, on the contrary, you've never heard about this festival you're probably wondering: What is Coachella really all about? Well, don't worry! Here, we'll give you all the information you need to understand this huge interplanetary event and prepare yourself if you want to go!
#introWhat is Coachella and where is it held?
Basically, Coachella is a giant annual music festival that takes place every year in the city of Indio in California. The festival has grown tremendously since its first year in 1999 and is now much more than just a weekend to listen to good music.
Officially called "The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival" (also called "Coachella" or even just "Chella"), the festival has a pretty interesting history. It all started when the band Pearl Jam got into an argument with Ticketmaster over their service fees, claiming that they were financially targeting both fans and artists. That's why Pearl Jam started looking for other venues for their tour that didn't include Ticketmaster.
The band ended up using the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA, where the festival still takes place today. In 2012, the festival grew to such a size that organizers transformed it into two separate weekends.🤪
For the record, it was a Pearl Jam concert at the same venue in 1993 that gave birth to the project. The concert having enabled the site to be declared fit to host concerts, it was the starting point of the project launched by Goldenvoice, under the impetus of its CEO Paul Tollett.
This first edition of the festival was unfortunately a failure. After losses of 750000$, Goldenvoice narrowly avoided bankruptcy thanks to some artists who accepted to defer the payment of their fees. It must be said that, from the first edition, the organizers had hit hard on the programming. Moreover, camping was still forbidden at the time on the site, forcing festival-goers to cross the California desert to return on the second day.
Following the failure of this first edition, Coachella will be organized again only from 2001, for a format passing from two days to only one day. After a few difficulties in setting up the programming and a helping hand from Perry Farrell (the creator of Lollapalooza), the edition is finally success with, in particular, in terms of electronic music, Aphex Twin, Fatboy Slim and again the Chemical Brothers.
Today, Coachella has become one of the world's most popular festivals, with approximately 579,000 participants in 2014.🤩
While everyone who is fortunate enough to attend has their own reasons for enjoying the festival, its location probably explains in large part why so many people flock to the middle of nowhere to listen to music.🌄
The fact that it takes place in the desert must certainly give it an advantage over other festivals on offer, especially on the rainy and muddy weekends that we are used to.
But as the festival has grown and social media has allowed us to follow all the movements of our favorite celebrities, Coachella has become a huge celebrity hot spot.
What is Coachella about?
Although Coachella's roots are all about music, it has become much more expansive than in recent years. It features art installations and has also become a major fashion hotspot for boho style lovers. ☮️
As said before, it's also full of celebrities, from artists who perform to stars who just want to hang out. Stars like Kendall Jenner, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, and many others are spotted there almost every year.☯️
The music festival takes place in five main stages: the Coachella stage, the open-air theatre, the Gobi tent, the Mojave tent, and the Sahara tent. The big titles are played in the evening as the last acts, while smaller artists and bands play throughout the day.
How many people attend Coachella?
The first edition took place in October 1999 to be exact. 25,000 people gathered on the site of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California to admire the Chemical Brothers or Rage Against The Machine, among others.. 200'000 people, this is the number of people that went to Coachella in 2019.
When is Coachella 2020?
Coachella takes place every other weekend in April, although the dates are not always the same. In 2020, because of the COVID 2019, the Coachella festival has been delayed. The festival will take place during the 2 weekends of October from 9 to 11 October 2020 and from 16 to 18 October 2020.
How much Coachella tickets cost?
It's a bit ironic that Coachella started out with an argument about ticket prices, given the cost of attending the festival today. In 2019, tickets start at $429 USD for a three-day pass. Of course, that includes three full days of music, but it's still expensive.😬
Once there, there is a need for a place to stay, as the festival is located in the desert. Passes for camping cars cost just over $100, which is your best option.
Coachella program 2020
This year's Coachella will probably be pretty epic. Travis Scott, Lana Del Rey, FKA Twigs, Frank Ocean, Rage Against The Machine, and many others will be there! 🥰
If you're lucky enough to go, you'll find yourself rocking between Blues, Reggae and contemporary music. More than a festival, the unique and fairy-tale rendezvous of bohemian fashion and boho chic an idyll for every bohemian!