Coachella has become cultural phenomenon, and has morphed into an overpriced Instagram photo op rather than a rewarding music festival experience. People spend thousands of dollars to get there, only to spend even more on additional costs, stand for hours in dusty desert heat, and realize that the entire festival is a social media illusion.
The reality of Coachella is not at all worth the money or hype surrounding it.
Coachella is a music festival that takes place in the California desert during April. Throughout two weekends, it showcases the biggest musical artists in pop culture; this year featuring Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, and Katseye, among many others.
One major issue with the festival is the insane additional costs, on top of the high prices of tickets. The average prices were shared in a Los Angeles Times article, “People tell us how much they spent on Coachella 2026″ by Andrea Dominic.
“General admission passes to the three-day festival originally retailed at $649 and $549 for the festival’s two weekends, respectively, with VIP tickets priced at double,” Dominic wrote.
The cost of the ticket is only part of the true cost. There are extensive and overpriced additional costs, including travel to and from Indio, transportation on and off-site, lodging for the weekend, and food. Because of the demand of 125,000 attendees per day, the prices of everything become astronomical, bringing attendees overall festival price into the thousands.
Aside from the overpriced additional costs, Indio weather adds a whole other monster to the weekend. The California desert city gets up to 96 degrees numerous times throughout the month of April, and averages this year at 80 degrees during its everyday peak, according to Weather Underground. Combining that desert heat with high winds and a dusty venue causes a wildly uncomfortable 12 hours.
Many assume that it must be worth the money because so many people are going, but that’s not the reality. Opening Instagram feels like a Coachella advertisement in April, and it seems nearly every influencer is present. Influencers post curated VIP photos that show an unrealistic version of the festival and set false expectations for those hoping to attend.
For example, in a post by Audrey Afonso, she records a song from Justin Bieber’s set, but Bieber is nowhere to be seen. A sea of phones fills the bottom of the screen, and Justin Bieber is up on the big screen. If you’re going to be watching the performer on a TV anyways, why not save a few thousand dollars and do it from your couch?
The event has become heavily tied to social media, where attending often feels like it is about the post as much as it is the music. In crowds, most people film the artist performing rather than watching them, making it hard to even see the stage.
The festival is filled with staged photoshoots and constant recording, shifting attention away from the experience itself and toward how it will look in an Insta post.
Some may argue that all of the money and downsides are worth it, because the price of one ticket for a weekend of being able to see so many of your favorite artists seems ideal. You get to experience a number of your bucket list concerts in one weekend.
Sadly, this isn’t entirely true for a number of reasons.
One is that, because so many phones are being held up to try and capture the event, views are blocked, making it challenging to actually watch the concert. Additionally, because there are thousands of people attending the event, it’s incredibly difficult to get up close and truly see.
Finally, Coachella has safety precautions in place that result in scheduling two major artists to play at once to attempt to disperse the crowds. The Geo News article, “Coachella 2026 livestream guide: Time, headliners, must see-sets,” addressed the issue clearly.
“The real problem: clashes. You will have to choose. It’s inevitable,” the Geo News Digital Desk wrote.
This means that many people are torn and have to pick between which singer they’d rather see, missing some of their top artists.
This California desert music festival is not at all worth the hype surrounding it. Coachella has perfected the art of illusion, and sold you an overpriced weekend of harsh heat, a hurting wallet, and a hollow experience.