Coachella Tickets

The Coachella decision in three choices

Coachella sells no single-day tickets. Every pass covers one full Friday-to-Sunday weekend, and the lineup is essentially the same on both weekends. That leaves three decisions: which weekend, which pass tier, and whether to camp. The 2027 dates are April 9–11 and April 16–18, on the Empire Polo Club grounds in Indio, a desert city about two hours' drive (some 125 miles) east of Los Angeles.

The short version: pick weekend one if you want the first look at every production, weekend two if you prefer a slightly calmer crowd. Go VIP if shade, a seat and quick restroom access in the afternoon heat matter more to you than the extra cost. Camp if you want to skip the nightly exit traffic, and buy the campsite at the same time as the pass, because camping is sold separately and sells out on its own schedule.

First weekend or second: how they differ

Since 2012 Coachella has run two consecutive three-day weekends. The difference between them is mood, not music.

• Weekend one debuts each set and stage design, collects most of the social media attention and typically sees stronger resale demand.
• Weekend two tends to feel more relaxed. Artists have already played the set once, which some fans see as an advantage.

Timing matters too. Advance passes for the following year go on sale before any lineup is public, and the 2027 advance sale had already closed on the festival's site by fall 2026. Once the lineup drops, resale activity jumps; that announcement is the biggest single driver of demand each year.

GA, GA plus shuttle, or VIP

The tiers below reflect the 2027 pass page. Names and perks change year to year.

• General admission (GA): entry all three days and access to the GA camping areas if you also buy camping. Most of the crowd holds GA.
• GA with shuttle: a weekend pass plus shuttle rides on all three days, the sensible pick if your hotel is elsewhere in the valley, such as Palm Springs, La Quinta or Palm Desert.
• GA four-pack: four GA passes sold together for a group.
• VIP: entry to reserved VIP zones, among them 12 Peaks by the main stage, the Rose Garden, and a VIP area at Sahara. Perks include shade, seating, flushable restrooms and upgraded food and bars.

Is VIP worth it? On a hot April afternoon in the desert, what you are really buying is shade, a place to sit and shorter lines. If you plan to stand at the main stage barrier all day, you will use fewer of those perks.

Car camping vs. a pre-set tent

On-site camping began in 2003 and is now its own purchase. The 2027 menu:

• Car camping: sleep next to your vehicle all weekend. The baseline option.
• Preferred and front-row car camping: a closer lot for a higher price.
• Powered car camping: electricity plus upgraded restrooms and showers.
• Group car camping: lets members of one group arrive separately and still camp together.
• Pre-set tents: Ready-Set tents, the climate-controlled La Campana tents (beds included) and Lake Eldorado lodging, built for anyone who would rather not haul gear.

Two rules shape the choice: there is no RV camping, and campers must be 18 or older. Under the FAQ, anyone can attend the festival itself, with free entry for kids age 5 or younger. Campgrounds open for check-in on Thursday morning; show up hours ahead to avoid the worst of the line.

Wristbands, registration and resale

Passes are RFID wristbands (fabric bands with a chip that is scanned at the gate), sent by mail; allow a minimum of four weeks for delivery, per weekend. You link the band to your account in the Coachella app, a step you get exactly once, so do it only after the band you will wear has arrived. The festival's FAQ also warns that passes resold outside approved channels can be canceled. Reserved Seat backs every order with a 100% guarantee.

Into Indio: airports, shuttles and rideshare

Palm Springs International is the nearest airport to the grounds. The bigger hubs listed by the festival are LAX and Ontario International, both a long drive west.

• Shuttles: Valley Music Travel runs routes from stops around the valley and also offers an airport pass from LAX: pickups run Thursday and Friday, and the ride back leaves Monday.
• Rideshare: the 2026 pickup point was Lot 1D, at Monroe Street and Avenue 49, staffed from late morning (11 a.m.) until 3 a.m. on festival days. Expect a long queue once the final set ends.
• Day parking: available on the three festival days only, never Thursday. Preferred spots are presold.
• Transit: Greyhound stops in Indio, and the closest rail and bus stop, downtown, is roughly 3 miles away.
• Bikes: cyclists have their own gates at several corners, one of them at Madison Street and Avenue 50.

Current stops and lot hours are on the Coachella getting-here page.

Packing list and what security turns away

As of the 2026 festival, the FAQ set these limits; check the current version before you pack.

• Bags: must measure less than 18 x 13 x 8.5 inches; security checks all of them.
• Water: bring plastic bottles of 64 ounces or smaller and plastic hydration packs no larger than 2 liters, all empty at the gate.
• Banned inside: drones, weapons, pro camera gear, glass or metal containers, and chairs (chairs are fine at your campsite) and signs or totems, including anything on a pole or pool noodle.
• Campground limits: generators, open flames and wood or charcoal fires are banned. A propane stove may have up to two burners, each site may hold up to 20 pounds of fuel, and cooking hours run 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Bring sunscreen, a hat, an evening layer for the desert temperature drop, a phone battery and a bandana for wind-blown dust. Full rules live on the Coachella FAQ.

How a polo field became a pop showcase

Coachella began as a two-day show in October 1999, put on by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen. Goldenvoice, its producer, has been part of AEG Presents since 2001. Three-day editions arrived in 2007 and the double weekend in 2012. The performance area takes up about 78 acres of polo grounds; add the lots and campgrounds and the footprint reaches roughly 642 acres. Stagecoach, Goldenvoice's country festival, has used the same grounds since 2007. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 and 2021 editions; the festival came back in 2022.

• The alt-rock start: Rage Against the Machine, Tool and Beck topped the 1999 bill, and Radiohead shared 2004 with The Cure.
• 2009: Paul McCartney headlined with The Killers, plus The Cure again.
• 2012: Radiohead, The Black Keys, and Snoop Dogg with Dr. Dre, whose show featured a projected image of the late Tupac Shakur.
• 2015: AC/DC, Jack White and Drake.
• 2018: Eminem, The Weeknd and Beyoncé, who became the festival's first Black female headliner.
• Recent years: Green Day, Travis Scott, Lady Gaga and Post Malone in 2025; Karol G, Anyma, Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter in 2026.

Daft Punk's 2006 pyramid show remains one of the most cited sets in the festival's history.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Coachella
• Coachella – Official site (2027 dates)
• Coachella – Passes
• Coachella – FAQ
• Coachella – Getting Here