Picture this! A vast desert setting with several different stages scattered about in every corner where your favorite bands will perform. This three-day period also includes various works of arts scattered amidst the camping fans.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival—held at the Empire Polo Club inIndio,Californiaby Goldenvoice—is an annual music and arts festival that began in 1999. Live music is played continuously on each of the stages. The main stages include the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent. Since the first festival, Coachella has featured some of the biggest stars of the music industry with the most diverse lineup, satisfying nearly every musical taste compared to any other festival.
Coachella 2012 took place in April 13-15 on the first week and on April 20-22 for the second week. This year’s lineup was a mixture of more than 140 artists and all sorts of bands including Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, The Shins, The Head and the Heart, The Hives, David Guetta, Manchester Orchestra, Explosions in the Sky, Florence + the Machine, The Artic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Radiohead, and many other acts. In fact, it didn’t even take a week until both weekends were sold out after the announcement for lineup for this year.
The biggest difference between the two weekends was definitely the weather. During the first weekend, the weather consisted of extreme wind, rain, and temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. By the next weekend, the audience was baking in oven-like temperatures higher than 100 degrees.
This year’s biggest musical highlight was the Tupac “hologram” which previewed during the Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre opening performance. The performance, which left many awed, can be viewed on YouTube with the rest of the performances as well.
Although many fans are drawn to the Coachella Festival because of the music, there can be a lot of artwork found at the festival. Coachella is actually known to have a one-of-a- kind art skyline, which is made out of large-scale installations. This year, among the several art installations, was a 140-foot tall flower, land sharks, robots, and a lobster “en fuego”. The 140-foot tall flower even contained a basket at the base that held the controls to move the flower around were located. Some installations, such as the rainbow of balloon arches, required Federal Aviation Administration approval just to be set up.
The best aspect of the art at Coachella is the variety of unique art work. From the “Starry Bamboo” sculptural piece set to the giant stainless steel lobster that shoots flames. The artists that display their work only have three months to make the art “come to life” and two weeks to set up for the event.
Coachella tries to prevent harming the environment, so it highly encourages carpooling. Attendees who participate in carpooling are given rewards and have the word “carpoolchella” written on their car for a chance to win VIP tickets for life. Also, the festival has recently joined Global Inheritance to start a “10 for 1” recycling program in which anyone who brings ten empty water bottles will receive one fresh water bottle for free. Just three years ago, another program was created in which buying a ten dollar refillable water bottle gets the purchaser free refills at any location inside the festival and within the campgrounds.
To be prepared for next year, visit the Coachella website at www.coachella.com/ and check out some more information on the festival and the rules for attending.
