Coachella Arts & Music Festival

by Dave Pearson

Three days of fun in the southern California sun! The Coachella arts and music festival brought in 100,000 fans over its three-day period, which ran from April 16 to 18 in Indio, Ca. The Coachella festival is an annual event that has been taking place since 1999. Coachella offers camping grounds, free parking and six main performance stages where music is played virtually non-stop, making the festival one the most acclaimed outdoor mega festivals in California.

Over 100 bands/artists performed at the 2010 Coachella festival.  Jay-Z headlined on Friday, Muse headlined on Saturday and Gorillaz headlined on Sunday. The festival offers a wide range of music including rock and roll, electro and hip-hop. Unfortunately some of the bands were forced to cancel their performances this year due to travel delays in Europe. Yet the show went on as planned and the weather was merciful.  Beyonce’ made an appearance during Jay –Z’s performance, surprising fans and further proving the rising acclaim of the festival.  Coachella is amazing because you get to see so many different artist in one place, the mix of Indie-bands and pop super stars creates a magic energy that pulsates throughout the southern California desert.

I was lucky enough to attend the event on Friday, so I would like to offer some advice if you plan on going next year. First of all, buy your tickets ahead of time, this festival is growing more every year and tickets are in high demand. Secondly, get there as early as you can. It took my friends and I three hours to get from the free way off ramp to the parking lot, which is no more than a ten-mile distance!  My third piece of advice is to make sure your cell phones are charged and in working order. Coachella is huge and it is way to easy to lose track of your friends and or family at an event of this magnitude.  Furthermore, be sure to keep your-self hydrated, drink plenty of water before and during the event because it can hit triple digit temperatures in the Indio desert. My last bit of advice is to have a blast! Coachella fest is making history every year and it’s an awesome feeling to be a part of this beautiful event.  I highly suggest attending the Coachella festival next year, and if you if follow my advice I’m sure you will have a wonderful experience.

            If you would like to attend Coachella next year or you want to learn more about the festival check out the web site at www.coachella.com .