Coachella – the most famous music festival in the world. The iconic festival was held for the first time in Indio, California in 1999 for only $50 a ticket. Twenty-five years later, a simple general admission ticket to Coachella costs around $650. (Coachella 2025 )
The festival saw a major rise in the 2000s – 2010s. However, the increase in popularity can be attributed to 3 major reasons.
Firstly, as the years went on, the festival became recognized for its renowned lineups filled with star-studded musicians appealing to fans of all musical genres. Secondly, the festival became a “cool spot,” a place where all celebrities were spotted wearing their boho-chic outfits listening to their favorite indie artists. However, over time, a general stigma around the festival became associated with being an attraction not just about music, but about social status.
Lastly, Coachella’s success in the 2010s was driven by its presence on social media across platforms like Tumblr and Instagram. Due to these factors, Coachella was not just a “festival” anymore, it was an aesthetic, a lifestyle, and a trend people began hopping on.
In recent years, the festival has received a lot of criticism due to an increase of talk critiquing the direction the festival had gone in recent years. Early signs of decline came hand-in-hand with the overwhelming increase in influencer presence.
Weekend 1 of Coachella has now become a rite of passage for upcoming influencers and brands. From Coca-Cola, American Express to Neutrogena, brands have rented lavish houses to host all different types of influencers. Due to this, the festival has become filled with people who don’t appreciate the true nature of the festival, the music, and the musicians.
True music and festival lovers have complained about the commercialization of Coachella, arguing that the true spirit of the festival has been tainted. In fact, at this year's festival, a major discussion topic has been the bad crowds, which many attribute to the overload of influencers.
A key moment of Weekend 1 was when Benson Boone brought out Brian May, the guitarist of the legendary band Queen, to play Bohemian Rhapsody. Many people, including Boone himself, were shocked by the audience's disappointing reaction to May coming out as a surprise guest. Many argued that if this had happened in other music festivals outside of America, such as in Glastonbury, a festival in England, the audience would have reacted much differently and much more positively.
Beyond the music, the festival has also always been a center of fashion and cultural expression. It was a place where people could display their unique style; however, now Coachella outfits appear to follow the same blueprint and all look similar. Brands like H&M have even begun creating specific Coachella lines, stripping away the unique styles of the festival and replacing them with mass-produced costumes.
Besides the decline in the music festival's cultural and societal significance, in the last three years the festival has received more backlash than ever about logistical and organizational issues. The prices for accommodation continue to spike each year, making it almost impossible for non-influencers to go.
Additionally, the ticket costs have skyrocketed in the last few years, making it unattainable for most people. Furthermore, there have been increasing complaints against the “VIP section elitism,” alienating celebrities and influencers from the general public.
Lastly, one of the most discussed issues of Coachella has rooted from production and technical issues. One of the most prominent examples was Frank Ocean headlining in 2023. His performance, or lack thereof, was widely criticized. He showed up an hour late to his performance, he chose to not livestream the show, taking away the experience from fans who did not attend the festival, and then cancelled his Weekend Two performance. This is one example of the many production issues that have occurred at Coachella over the many years it has existed.
What was once a highly esteemed cultural, musical, and artistic attraction has now evolved into a commercialized, unorganized, and problematic spectacle. The changes in Coachella’s nature mirror and reflect the ever-changing values and priorities of different decades and generations.
As Coachella continues to face criticism, many wonder: will it ever return back to its original spirit? And if not, what are the next steps? Only time will tell.