Welcome to our live coverage of Day 1 of the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Friday’s headliner is Lana Del Rey, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on Peso Pluma, who precedes her on Coachella’s biggest stage. Tyler, the Creator tops Saturday night’s bill, following a much-anticipated reunion set from No Doubt. And Doja Cat closes out the festival Sunday, marking her first time headlining the fest.
The first weekend is sold out, but tickets are available for Weekend 2.
There’s more than just the big names to see. Other artists on our radar for Friday include Justice, L’Impératrice, Chappell Roan, Deftones, Sabrina Carpenter, Young Miko and Suki Waterhouse. And with rumors circulating that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are headed to Coachella, we’ll keep an eye out to see if Swift hops onstage with any of her friends performing this weekend.
From the fashion to the new Quasar stage to the best eats, we’ll keep you in the loop on what you won’t see on the livestream from home.
Check back Friday afternoon as The Times’ Mikael Wood, August Brown, Vanessa Franko, Danielle Dorsey and Nate Jackson will be roaming the festival grounds, reporting on all the action as it happens.
And follow @latimes_entertainment on Instagram to see more from the field.
2:25 p.m. Greetings and happy Coachella! I’ve been covering the fest since 2007 and when you count the twin weekends, this is No. 25 for me.
There was a big cheer when the gates opened at 1:20, a little bit behind the published 1 p.m. opening times, but people were still feeling the good vibes.
The fest feels a little busier than normal on a Friday for the opening time. This weekend is sold out and I suspect the warm temps in the lower 90s brought some of the campers out of their tents and into the festival early.
The biggest change to the festival grounds at the Empire Polo Club in Indio this year is that they are significantly larger. I joked that the Sahara Tent, which has also grown, is now in its own ZIP Code. It is not quite that far, but it is beyond the previous footprint and along the blue parking path. If you are trying to go between Sahara and the Outdoor Theatre, plan accordingly. It is a hike.
Also new for 2024 is the Quasar Stage, which is beyond the Craft Beer Barn where Sahara was previously located. It is set up for longer sets from DJs and won’t get going until later today.
I asked for the Coachella booklet at an info kiosk and I was told they didn’t have them and weren’t expecting them. That makes downloading the app even more important.
As far as the art goes, there is less this year. Beyond the perennial Spectra rainbow tower and the iconic balloon chain, there are only three other large pieces. One, Babylon, by Nebbia, looks like a big tower of gray rocks and is not part of the usually colorful Coachella nature. However, art at Coachella always has a different vibe at night, so we’ll see how it looks when the sun goes down.
— Vanessa Franko
2:30 p.m. After initially heading to the VIP Rose Garden, I had my first Coachella snack at the Craft Beer Barn. (Pro tip: The Rose Garden food vendors were still setting up when I arrived so maybe don’t make it your first stop, unless you want hand rolls from Kazunori, which had a full bar and a growing line shortly after gates opened.)
I ended up grabbing a birria quesadilla from the Goat Mafia, which was ready almost immediately with piping hot consommé and juicy goat birria melding with gooey cheese. Afterward, I ducked into the Cabin for a cool craft cocktail to fight the punishing desert sun.
— Danielle Dorsey
4:40 p.m. Walking across Coachella under the high afternoon sun feels akin to that scene in “The Lion King” when Simba is banished by Scar from Pride Rock and collapses in the desert from dehydration before he’s saved by Timon and Pumba. But while trekking from 12 Peaks VIP Area to the VIP Rose Garden, I discovered this Coachella hack: Cut through the Basement speak-easy that’s tucked in the back corner of the Pies and Lows pizza pop-up (maybe order a drink in the dark, air-conditioned, albeit slightly claustrophobic, bar before you find your way out — dealer’s choice) that spits you out at the Craft Beer Barn. You’ll need a password to enter the hidden bar and I was sworn to secrecy, but I’ll give you a tiny hint: When Amanda Seyfried embraced camp.
— DD
5:27 p.m. I went to Coachella and entered some sort of time warp. Not only do we have Deftones, Blur, No Doubt and Sublime on the bill, but there have been a lot of throwbacks as I’ve criss-crossed the field this afternoon. When I popped into The Basement speakeasy to cool off among black-light posters of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and Cheech & Chong, I heard the Toadies’ “Possum Kingdom,” Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” and Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You.” Then, as I was walking by the Outdoor Theatre, Fundido was spinning a house remix of Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” and later some Celine Dion. I’m not mad about any of it. — V.F.
5:31 p.m. Punishing is the word! Maybe I’ve just gotten too accustomed to our new rainy reality in L.A., but the polo field feels especially hot at the moment as I take in what’s changed and what hasn’t at Coachella. Beyond the sun going down, what I’m looking forward to this evening is Deftones, Chappell Roan and Lana Del Rey, whose headlining set I can envision either as a bare-bones singer-songwriter session or a full-on pop spectacle. We shall see. — M.W.
6:00 p.m. French disco pop act L’Impératrice brought the dance party I needed to recharge and get ready for the evening of Coachella’s first day.
The band, which has an upcoming album called “Pulsar,” came out dressed in matching light blue outfits that gave “Fifth Element”/sci-fi vibes and included glowing discs.
“Peur des filles” was an early highlight before the band led the crowd in synchronized choreography for “Voodoo?” A fun, funky time was had by all. — V.F.
