As people start to gear up for festivals such as Coachella, they are constantly asked the question, “Is it really worth the money?” Put simply, it is absolutely worth the money.
Coachella offers something for every type of festival goer. If you add up the cost of each activity that someone is able to participate in, the value is substantially more than the price of admission.
Owner of the Peppertree Grill in Sierra Madre and former PCC student Ryan Lopez remembers his time cruising around the green grass of the festival grounds.
“Coachella was an amazing getaway with great music and even greater friends,” he said.
The most popular way to attend Coachella is to camp in the designated lots just outside of the festival entrance. “Car camping,” which became an option in 2010, is the most convenient way to camp. Each car camping pass allows you and your friends to have their car in a 10-foot-by-30-foot space, where you can conveniently store your belongings, or even sleep.
Before even walking into the venue, campers have the opportunity to take yoga classes, play arcade games, shower, and even play a few games of dodge ball.
Once people enter the gates, there are food trucks from famous restaurants across the country, ranging from Pink’s Hot Dogs in Hollywood, to Bau Haus of New York City. The Terrace offers a Stumptown Coffee Bar, a craft beer garden, and even food options for special diets such as vegan, raw vegan, gluten free, kosher, and paleo.
Coachella takes pride in offering the most diverse line up across every genre of music. This year’s line up offers everything from a Ramone’s tribute band (Gabba Gabba Hey), to fist pumping electro DJs in the Sahara tent, to “old school” DJs such as Cajmere in the Yuma tent, and mainstream alternative rock such as Muse.
“I’m looking forward to exploring new types of music,” says biology major Nicole Kim. “I’ve been pretty EDM heavy for the last couple of years and haven’t bothered to really dive into other genres, but I feel like Coachella has such a wide array of music to discover!”
And to top it off, Outkast will be getting back together to headline the main stage on day one. To see any of the names on the lineup in large print, face value prices through Goldenvoice or Ticketmaster could range anywhere from $40 to $100.
Some people cannot afford to fork over hundreds of dollars at once for a ticket. To make sure they are not left out, Coachella offers a payment plan, where people can make seven monthly payments.
Once all the tickets are sold, Coachella donates a portion of proceeds to local Coachella Valley charities including, California CareForce, Indio Teen Center, Indio Senior Center, Coachella Valley Community Trust, and several others.
The $434 cost—face value for a general admission ticket with a car camping spot—doesn’t just pay for admission to a festival, and all the great things it has to offer, including the chance to meet like-minded people.
“My best friend of seven years and I first met at Coachella,” recalls marketing major Alden Tseng. “Because of Coachella I was able to meet someone who shared my ideals and someone who would always support my decisions.”
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