By Savannah Haas
I sadly could not attend Coachella this year, luckily my rave gal in crime Sav could document her experience on an incredible weekend #Beychella. Enjoy and if you’re going to Weekend 2, check out her recommendations and have an amazing time!
MY WEEKEND ONE COACHELLA RECAP + CAMPING
I attended my first Coachella what seems like a lifetime ago in 2015, and I’ve never been able to imagine myself not attending every year since. In 2017, due to some unforeseen circumstances and money issues, I couldn’t make it, and I truly felt devastated to say the least. But, it made me that much more excited to return to the Polo Fields this year! Every year that I’ve ever gone before, it’s been for Weekend 2, and so I was excited to experience Weekend 1 for a change! I’ve also never camped before, only stayed in hotels, so I knew I was going to be in for an entirely different experience altogether!
CAMPING
Arriving to camping, my boyfriend Sean and I parked in the companion lot and trekked our many camping supplies and suitcases into the campsite, where we met up with friends and set up for the night. We took a brief walk around to look at the food in the campsite but we wanted to settle in early because we knew we wouldn’t get another night of good sleep all weekend!
The first thing we noticed while camping was that it got extremely cold during the night, so much colder than we expected! By 2-3 a.m., it was in the low 50s, and one blanket on us simply wasn’t enough. I highly recommend wearing layers to bed — sweatpants, a shirt, a sweater, and thermal socks. Fair warning, by 8 a.m. the sun will be up and blazing and you’ll probably wake up in a puddle of sweat, but just remember it’s easier to sit up and peel layers off in the warmth than it is to get up in the middle of the frigidly cold night to put layers on!
We woke up early the first day (most likely because our neighbors began a very intense beer pong tournament around 8 a.m.) and explored the site a little bit more. We found a giant stage that played music all day long, walked through all of the vendor booths, tried some of the food from the trucks, and hung out at our campsite with the other members of our camping group. As the morning dragged on, we got more and more anxious about finally getting to enter the festival and it felt like we couldn’t wait any longer by the time we headed off to get in line at security! I have to say, security coming into the festival from the campgrounds was pretty disorganized and inefficient the entire weekend, so plan for an extra 10-15 minutes if you’re trying to make a set in time. You’re also not going to be shaded at all during your security wait, so bring a hand fan or a hat!
Overall, the camping experience was great. It wasn’t too hot, the porta potties weren’t unusable, and all of our friends had a great time sitting around chatting each day, making friends and sharing supplies with our neighbors. Bring a speaker, activities, and plenty of food — real food like sandwiches and stuff, snacks won’t sustain you — and you’ll have a great time.
TENTS, STAGES, FAVORITE SETS
Sahara
Oh, Sahara, my first love and everyone’s favorite party stage. In Sahara, you’ll mostly find electronic artists, crazy light rigs, insane visual setups, and a crowd that never stops dancing. This year, the Sahara tent was changed from its original structure and placement, and this was the BEST IMPROVEMENT. In years past, Sahara would be so crowded and hot that people would frequently pass out, and it was hard to enjoy sets. This year, the festival moved the tent to the right of the ferris wheel, immediately as you entered the festival, and it was rotated to be a horizontal stage. It’s hard to explain, but imagine it as a giant tunnel with one side of the stage covered in screens, where the performers stood. I would argue I spent almost half my time at this stage alone this past weekend, which is no different from years past, seeing as electronic music is my favorite genre. The light rig that hangs above the crowd is known to change from year to year, with my favorite being the 3D squares that descended and ascended above the crowd in 2016, but this year it a spider-like structure, allowing the lights to permeate every inch of the tent in all directions. Here are my recommend must-see sets in Sahara:
- Rezz: I can’t emphasize this enough, her set was mind-blowing from start to finish. Sean and I were lucky enough to have a spot on the rail that separated VIP from GA and so we were very close. The bassline just vibrates the entire tent and the energy that she had while performing was infectious. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a big fan or not, don’t miss Rezz.
- AC Slater: The father of night bass and all that encompasses a groovy house set, AC Slater didn’t hold back with dropping banger after banger. We didn’t stop moving the entire time we were there.
- Louis The Child: The most fun, dancy, uplifting music you’ll probably hear in this tent all weekend will come from these guys! If you want to laugh, cry, and enjoy every emotion in between, don’t question seeing them.
- Illenium: I feel like this goes without saying if you’ve ever heard any Illenium song ever, but picture feeling wrapped in a warm blanket of his music with 10,000 other people singing along, sharing the same emotions you are. Powerful stuff.
The Do Lab
One of the biggest mistakes I made my first Coachella was neglecting to visit The Do Lab. Every year since, I’ve made sure to spend as much time there as possible. Aside from the obvious positives of getting hosed down with water while dancing in 100 degree weather, The Do Lab has a magical energy about it. Funky house and techno blasts throughout the shaded structure all weekend, and everyone is always grooving. Personally, I think this is where you’ll find the friendliest, most down to earth people. Arguably the best part about The Do Lab is the special guests they host each year, and that leads me to my favorite sets from TDL this weekend:
- Um..: I’m not going to lie, this set definitely won’t be for everyone. The only way I can think to explain it is….different. I laid in the grass at the back with friends and closed my eyes while I listened and genuinely felt like I was floating off to an alien dimension (yes, sober). Just trust me on this one.
- RL Grime: One of my favorite sets of the weekend, by far. No surprise, seeing as I’ve been a huge Grime fan for the last 5 or so years. He was a surprise guest, which made it all the more fun, since no one knew he was coming and we all learned about it together. The crowd was sooooo into it, everyone around us was singing and dancing along the whole time. Chances are, he won’t make an appearance Weekend 2, but don’t miss a set of his in the future.
- Chris Lake: This goes without saying if you’ve ever seen a Chris Lake set, but it was funky. Start to finish, the bass was moving everyone around us in unison. The sun was starting to go down, the vibes were kicking in, it was beautiful. Don’t miss even a second.
Heineken House
- Barely Alive b2b Virtual Riot: If you’re even slightly a dubstep fan, you’re familiar with these names and the punch their sets pack. They tossed in every classic song you could want to hear and had great energy the whole way through.
- 12th Planet: I might be biased because I’m a huge 12th Planet fan, but this man literally never has a bad set in my eyes. He didn’t shy away from the fact that most Coachella-goers probably aren’t familiar with his style, he stayed true to his sound and visuals and it was a total party.
- AFK b2b Svdden Death: Get there early on Sunday and kick back for a set just as fun as the two aforementioned, but take note of how friendly these two guys are. The entire set, they were interacting with people dancing at the base of their podium, often stopping to high five and shake their hands. Major bonus points for bringing a little plur to the Heineken House.
The Antarctic
Now that I’ve highlighted my favorite tents and most of my favorite sets from the weekend, I have to talk about the best moment of the entire weekend, and one of the best of my entire life. My favorite duo, Odesza, were the second to last artists to play the main stage, directly before Eminem closed out the entire festival, and I knew that it was going to be life-changing. The first time I saw Odesza was in 2015 at Coachella in the Mojave Tent, and their music has always signified a shift in energy and direction in my life. They mean the world to me, to say the least. And so, I was more than amped to have this full-circle moment where I finally saw them again, in the same place that they first changed my life, and I mean it when I say it was the best set I have ever seen in my 21 years of being alive. I don’t want to spoil the magic, so I’ll just share the highlight of their set — halfway through, as an instrumental played in the background, what looked like dozens of little fireflies rose into the sky from behind the stage. Confusion immediately followed, which turned into amazement, joy, and tears as the crowd realized the lights were drones, rising to form Odesza’s symbol, the icosahedron, in the sky above the crowd. As someone who has planned for years to get a tattoo of this symbol, someone who is so emotionally attached to the history of it and the music that brought it into my life, there truly weren’t words to describe what the moment meant to me. I’ll never forget it. Please don’t miss even a second of this set. You can watch the video here.
Honorable Mention:
Jacob Banks: soulful, emotional, romantic. Take a break from mainstage and see this sunset Mojave set.
Cardi B: Regardless of how much you like her or her music, the girl knows how to entertain. Have a few laughs with her.
ART
One thing you can always count on from Coachella, is the completely unique art structures. This year, there were 5 physical art pieces in total, to the best of my knowledge, and they each had something unique about them. Here were my favorites:
The Rainbow Tower (Spectra)
This 7-story, transparent, circular tower blinked flashing colorful lights all through the inside, which you could walk through, around and around the ramps until you reached the top, where you had a 360 degree view of the entire festival grounds and beyond. Definitely take a minute to see the festival from a bird’s-eye perspective.
The Colorful Jack (Supernova)
From the same creators that brought us the floral Besame Mucho wall in 2016 comes this super cool “bursting star”, which can only be described as having multiple sharp triangles jutting out from the center to create a jack-like appearance. Each triangle is painted multiple colors and at night, stands out as the brightest star in the sky.
The Wire Cathedrals (Etherea)
Three structures that resembled cathedrals all sat in the field between the Coachella and the Outdoor stages, all 3 of different sizes, but all made from wire, carefully crafted to create an optical illusion of transparency up close, but solidity from a distance. I found that the cathedrals almost looked like they were moved around, depending on where in the fields you were standing. They’re very detailed up close and left me fascinated as to how they were even created.
FOOD & DRINKS
Alright, let’s talk about one of my, and everyone else’s, favorite parts of any music festival — the food. When I say Coachella is in an entire other dimension compared to other festivals when it comes to food, I really mean it. Most festivals, I eat only enough to sustain me, but Sean and I wanted the full experience this year, so we balled out! Here were my favorites, all of them are 10/10 must-try’s:
Pad-Thai
This is a Coachella classic, one that most attendees are familiar with, and it’s definitely a fan-favorite. Not too heavy, which is nice for noodles! The portion, like most other food at the festival, is definitely enough for two people in my opinion, unless your boyfriend eats everything in sight like mine does!
Spicy Ramen
What can I say, I’m a huge noodle girl. This year, there was a huge barn set in between The Antarctic and the Outdoor stage called the Indio Central Market, which had the coolest vendors from the whole festival inside. A custom kombucha bar, ice cream hot dog plates, a mocktail bar, plenty of vegan options and the cutest paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Here is where we found a vegan ramen place called Ramen Hood offering regular and spicy ramen, and I went with the spicy to be daring. As someone who eats ramen fairly often and has tried bowls from all over, this was some of the best I’ve ever had. It had a kick to it, because it was spicy of course, but nothing unbearable and there were so many good flavors wrapped into one bowl. Don’t skip this one!
Cupcake Vineyard Wine Popsicles
Yep, you heard that right, WINE POPSICLES. I’ve suddenly found my new favorite treat for girls night. Cupcake Vineyards is located in the beer garden next to the main stage, and allows you to choose between their various wine options for your cup, and then has a few different popsicle flavors to choose from to add to it. I chose a rosé, and added a watermelon popsicle to it and holy crap, I’ve never spent a better $11 in my life! The popsicle soaks up the wine as you sip slowly, and it was the best treat to enjoy while dancing barefoot to Vance Joy at sunset. This is a MUST!
Popsicles & Lemonade
This is just a brief interjection to remind everyone that popsicles are an easy and cheap way to cool yourself down a little! There are popsicle and lemonade stands placed throughout the festival, and you definitely need to try a Strawberry Lemonade and a pop on the warmest days. Thank me later!
CLOTHING
I feel like I have to make a caveat for any new Coachella-goers that the clothing you wear does not matter nearly as much as social media and some blogs would imply. The first rule of festival fashion in my eyes is comfort, especially at Coachella, when you’re walking around 6 miles a day in total, in 100 degree weather.
Everyone seems to stress out about what they’re going to wear, worried that they’ll stick out like a sore thumb, but the real truth is that it doesn’t matter. Nobody else is paying attention to you, everyone is there to dance and enjoy some good music, and if they’re there for any other reason, you shouldn’t care to impress them anyway! Keep things light with shorts, breezy items and comfortable shoes, i.e. sneakers!! Those cute heeled booties are not worth it girl. There isn’t much more to say about the matter, just don’t let outfit stress ruin your weekend.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My main pieces of advice?
- Stay cool by taking advantage of the Yuma tent, The Do Lab, and The Antarctic
- Sneakers or bust
- Use spare time during the day to wander to a stage you haven’t visited and see whoever is playing, regardless of if you know them or not
- Try as much food as possible
- If you feel emotional, let it out! It can be an incredibly emotional experience. I’ve cried plenty of tears of joy on the fields
- Never spend more than 10 minutes each day taking photos. You want memories to look back on, but don’t be one of those people who attend just for the good Instagram
- Appreciate every moment. Before you know it, the Ferris Wheel lights will go black on Sunday night and it’ll all be over.
If you’ve never been to Coachella before, it’s easy to judge from afar. I have to admit, it’s difficult to read all the hate the festival gets online, as negative people judge attendees and spread misconception about the festival. I truly believe you can’t understand the magic of the Polo Fields until you attend. Once again, I had an incredible weekend at my favorite place on Earth, and I will continue to come back year after year. However, I think I’ll be sticking to Weekend Two from now on. There’s nothing wrong with Weekend One, it’s just a different vibe! I liked Weekend One because of how excited attendees were, with everything being completely new to us since we were the first to experience it, and I loved camping and being surrounded by friends 24/7. Weekend Two personally feels more down to earth and like a traditional music festival than the fashion-forward, celebrity-saturated feel of Weekend One, and that’s just my preference! I’m excited to hear from all of my W2 friends about their experiences after this upcoming weekend!
That concludes my Coachella Weekend One Recap! I hope that Weekend Two attendees have just as much of a beautiful, magical experience as I did, and that the Polo Fields continue to bring joy to all Coachella-goers for years to come.
Thank you so much for this post Sav!!! Be sure to follow her on social media Twitter: @savvyhaas and Instagram: savhaas 🙂 Let us know if you went to Coachella and your experience in the comments below!
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