May 21 2015 – It started with a journey to the desert of California to experience Coachella (wonderland), the musical festival that has become much more than just a musical festival. In fact there are only a handful of bands that would interest us in a pure musical sense (AC/DC, Jack White, Tame Impala, etc) in this festival but the pop culture media had a field day with a kiss between a 56-year-old pop diva and a rapper. However, there is so much more than music happening here. Welcome to the ride!
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2015 was an eye opening music festival.
Fashion
Flower Crowns. Kimonos. Crop Tops. Besides great music, Coachella is known for its great style. So let your hippie side loose! For the occasion it’s good to go a little bohemian-crazy!
Investing in booties is one tip that is continuously given; they are stylish, comfortable, and keep your feet from getting trampled on when you’re jamming to music all day. During the daytime it’s HOT, but at night it gets chilly. The most important item to include is a sweater, or the ladies favourite – the kimono.
At the end of the night when you are walking the 20 minutes to your campground, shuttle buses, or parking lot, they also act as a mask for the sandstorm. I always wondered why people wore bandanas over their face or around their necks during the day in the hot sun, but by the end of the night I thought they were the smartest ones in the crowd. So if you’re going to wear one, have fun with it. At Coachella you realize there are a lot of different people, ones who dress up in furry costumes, ones who just want to be comfortable, ones who only wear a bikini, and ones who treat the weekend as a fashion show.
Celebrity Sightings
One of the most exciting things about attending Coachella was rubbing shoulders with the celebrities. Anybody who is anybody seemed to be there this year – artists (Beyonce), actors (Leo DiCaprio), reality stars (Kendall Jenner), models (Gigi Hadid), and more.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see ANYONE until the final day when I hit the jackpot for celebrity sightings. On Day 3, as I was enjoying St. Lucia’s set at the Coachella main stage, I spotted David and Victoria Beckham’s son Brooklyn, Tiesto, 5 models including Alessandra Ambrosio, and The Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise star Robert Graham.
The models walking out was funny to watch, as they all walked arm-in-arm as if they were walking down a runway, while people sitting on the grass in front of them had to get up and move out of the way before they got trampled!
Coachella Art
The art displayed around the grounds every year make the whole experience more colourful, playful, and beautiful.
Papilio Merraculous (caterpillar) inspired by all the amazing ways nature handles change and transformation. On Day 3 it transforms into a butterfly, as a metaphor to the way the world around us is always adapting, evolving, and growing in often mysterious ways.
Balloon Chains filled with helium roam the grounds during the day and light up the sky at night.
Big Horn Palace is a tribute to California’s Big Horn Sheep indigenous to the Coachella Valley. Their grace, power, and agility make them a truly majestic creature.
Honoring tribute to time and color, Chrono Chromatic is a monumental sculpture that celebrates the festival’s broad spectrum of music and artists, as they engrave their moment in time.
Coachella Ferris Wheel
My Coachella Schedule
Note to see some video footage hit the link on the songs associated with the acts.
Day 1
- The War on Drugs
- Alabama Shakes
- Lykke Li
- Tame Impala
- ACDC
- Alesso
- If I Lose Myself (ft. Ryan Tedder of One Republic)
- Lose My Mind (ft. Ryan Tedder of One Republic) –
- Heroes
Day 2
- Milkey Chance
- Cashmere Cat
- Jungle
- Hozier
- Alt-J
- Duke Dumont
- Jack White
- FKA Twigs
- The Weekend
Day 3
- St Lucia
- Vance Joy
- Jenny Lewis
- Marina & the Diamonds
- Ryan Adams
- Kaskade
- St Vincent
- Florence and the Machine (Florence broke her foot jumping around!)
- Fitz and the Tantrums
- Drake
- A message from his mom
- Headline
- The Motto
- Hung Up & Human Nature (ft. Madonna and the kiss!) –
- Tuesday
- Running Through The 6
- Hold On, We’re Going Home
- Started From the Bottom
What to Expect
The hardest task at Coachella is making a schedule. There are too many artists and too little time, so some of your favourites are bound to be scheduled at the same time but at stages on the opposite side of the grounds!
The Coachella app was great, offering maps, shuttle bus information, food and beverage options, news, and line up. Your phone will probably run out of battery during the day, so you should familiarize yourself with the locations of your new Coachella best friend – the charging stations. The best idea is to eat while charging. I would buy food, find a charging station, plug my phone in, and stand at the station to enjoy my meal. I also carried around two portable chargers in my purse every day.
And finally…the biggest problem at Coachella – cell service.
Say goodbye to internet access during the three day festival. Only when you were far away enough from stages and tents with crowds of people were you able to receive at best, weak service. When you did get the two or three bars of service all you could and wanted to do was send that text message. I don’t know how they will ever solve that problem, but just prepare to be super jealous to see that one person in front of you being able to text and go on social media while you stand there shaking or raising your phone.
Would I Go Again?
Absolutely! Everyone always wonders if it’s worth it to buy VIP passes – yes, it’s a no brainer. You will get access to exclusive areas on the groups, gourmet food vendors, bathrooms with running water, VIP pit sections at stages, and celebrity access. If you’ve ever thought about attending Coachella, go for it. It’s worth the experience!
