Coachella began unintentionally in 1993, when Pearl Jam, boycotting Ticketmaster, sought an alternative site and played the Empire Polo Club in California’s Coachella Valley to roughly 25,000 people. That one-off show convinced promoters the venue could host a larger outdoor event. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival officially launched in October 1999 as a more controlled alternative to that year’s chaotic Woodstock revival, featuring acts from Rage Against the Machine to the Chemical Brothers and Morrissey. Though the debut was artistically notable, promoters lost money. Coachella returned in 2001 as an annual event and, over 26 years, has grown into one of the world’s largest outdoor music festivals, drawing about 125,000 daily attendees across consecutive three-day weekends. Its main stage has showcased headline artists including Beyoncé, Madonna, Prince, Drake, Lady Gaga, Radiohead and Harry Styles.
The 2026 festival, beginning April 10, is headlined by Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber. But the festival’s identity has shifted: social media influencers and the festival “experience” now draw myriad attendees. A 2025 Variety interview of 100 festivalgoers found 66% said they attended for the broader experience rather than primarily for the music, often citing fashion and photo opportunities. The grounds have become a marketing platform for major brands such as Heineken, American Express and Neutrogena.
That turn has prompted backlash. A U.S. survey reported by The London Standard found 75% of respondents believed Coachella’s musical purpose had been overshadowed by influencer culture, and 68% criticized its corporatization. Criticisms intensified after 2025 operational failures that left some attendees waiting in lines as long as 12 hours and exposed shortages of portable toilets. Reports that artists including Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar declined headline slots fueled debate about the festival’s cultural relevance.
Diversity concerns persist: the festival did not have a Black female headliner until Beyoncé in 2018, nearly two decades after its debut, and in 2026 Karol G will be the first Latina to headline. Ownership has also been controversial; calls for boycotts arose over donations by owner Philip Anschutz to conservative causes, which Anschutz has denied were related to the festival.
Economically, Coachella generates more than $100 million annually, yet local inequalities remain stark. The Los Angeles Times reported that nearly 40% of Latino farmworkers in the region live in poverty. Despite the critiques, logistical problems and political disputes, the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is sold out.