Coachella 2014 kicks off in just two days. Are you ready?
Regardless of whether you are one of the lucky few who will experience the magic in person or part of the 99.99 percent of the population who will not be in attendance, you can acquire a feel for this world-famous desert music festival and what it will look like in Coachella 2014 form by reading below.
A Brief History of the California Desert Festival
Six years after Pearl Jam serenaded a crowd of 25,000 merrymakers at the Empire Polo Club, the venue served as host to the inauguration of a festival that should have been a profitable, crowd-pleasing venture. After the chaos that ensued at Woodstock three months prior to the event, the organizers of Coachella 1999 were forbidden from offering on-site camping. As a result, the event was shortened and money was lost. Still, a lineup featuring Beck, Tool, Morrissey, and Rage Against the Machine was well-received by the 10,000 who attended.
The lack of financial success of the inaugural festival made it difficult to find headliners and plan for another event in 2000, so there wasn’t one. But, Coachella returned in 2001, permitted on-site camping for pass holders for the first time in 2003, and has run successfully every year since.
Little Known Facts About Coachella
- The event’s full name is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. This is something many people who attend are not even aware of until they get their passes.
- The camp grounds boast a general store, charging stations, and free WiFi, in addition to showers and other basic amenities.
- Radiohead was the act to see the first time Coachella sold out, in 2004. Today, it is the most profitable music festival in the United States.
Coachella 2014 Headliners
The set of musical artists scheduled to perform at Coachella 2014 is at least as impressive as any previous lineup. Arcade Fire will wake up the crowd, Outkast will make you shake it like a Polaroid picture, and the madness of Muse will swallow the crowd’s attention whole.
In addition to these headliners, dozens of other powerhouses (Broken Bells, Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris, Beck, Neutral Milk Hotel, Skrillex, Lana Del Rey, and MGMT, to name a few) will take to the stage on one of the two weekends the festival is held. On top of this, some hundred rising acts will take it upon themselves to entertain the crowd. One, two, or more of these acts may blow you away so keep your ears and your mind open to enjoy more than just the bands you are excited to see.
Beyond the Music
Music is what brings people to Coachella, but it is just one part of the experience. A ferris wheel, bad dancing competition, and numerous carnival games are scattered around the festival grounds for interested spectators, and cold beer and tasty treats are never far away. There are also several contests being held, including Carpoolchella, which rewards those who carpool with friends to the festival by entering them into drawings for awesome prizes.
Tickets for both weekends of Coachella 2014 sold out within three hours of going on sale in January, but if you live in a luxury apartment in Southern California and are hoping to secure last-minute tickets, you can still visit Coachella.com and press your luck for standby passes. If you were fortunate enough to place your order early enough or secure tickets through means other than the official Coachella festival pass portal, enjoy! If not, there’s always next year.
Are you going to Coachella 2014? Let us know who you are most looking forward to seeing perform live!
View All Posts by Jason Ernst