The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, is a two-weekend event featuring the biggest artists of the time, performing to crowds of up to 100,000. Every year, in mid-April, anywhere from 250,000 to 750,000 people come from all around the world to the 333-acre festival to socialize and enjoy the music. This year, Coachella will be held on weekend one, April 10-12, and weekend two, April 17-19.
27 years ago, in October of 1999, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival started, funded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santin. Held in Indio, California, the first Coachella had roughly 25,000 attendees, and five years later, in 2004, Coachella held its first sold-out show. Today, it is one of the world’s biggest music festivals.
Each year, some of the most in-demand artists perform on the big stages of Coachella. This year, Sabrina Carpenter (Friday shows), Justin Bieber (Saturday shows), and Karol G (Sunday shows) are the three headliners for the two weekends. This year is special for the headliners. Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, and Justin Bieber have never headlined before, though they have performed previously. Also, with Karol G headlining this year, she becomes the first Latina woman to headline Coachella, following Bad Bunny’s performance in 2023. Smaller artists and groups, including Sombr, Katseye, Teddy Swims, and more, will also be performing. In the past, up-and-coming artists have used Coachella to gain a bigger audience, so it will be interesting to see whose music stands out from the rest. If you have not gotten tickets to Coachella this year, the stages will be live-streamed on the Coachella YouTube channel for free. The live stream will offer a multi-view screen with four stages streamed simultaneously, 4K resolution on the main stages, and guest commentary.
Aside from the music, Coachella is also somewhat of a fashion show for all who attend. Every year, people plan days’ worth of extravagant outfits, some even from designer brands, and compete to be the best looking at the festival. But attendees also need to be prepared for long hours spent outside, dancing, and walking. Christian Allaire wrote, “What Should Coachella Festival Style Look Like in 2026?” for Vogue magazine, in which she added a few designers’ opinions. “Nobody wants to be the girl who loses her sandals, so for me sturdy boots are a must for any music festival,” says Nicole Phelps, Global Director, Vogue Runway and Vogue Business. With different fashion trends happening and changing each year, Coachella always looks different. Recently, some popular trends you should expect at the infamous music festival include denim, sheer, and animal print. In recent years, Coachella attendees have resorted to “do-it-yourself” (DIY) for their outfits to save money and express themselves more. Although fashion has become a huge part of Coachella, many face backlash for clothes that are too revealing, disruptive, or even made from animal fur. “Repurpose, don’t shop!” says Emma Specter, culture writer, Vogue. People have been focusing on the fashion aspect recently, and have forgotten that Coachella is supposed to be about the music.
Coachella has become infamous over the years, and the 2026 festival surely did not disappoint.
