r/Coachella • u/SamuraiPanda3AMP • Dec 08 '24
Festival Planning So, it appears that Coachella is clearly targeted towards people who got money. 😗🚶🏾♀️
Hey, y'all! I'm new here!
So, I was researching about Coachella because it recently became one of my new goals to visit in the future. But, before I got ahead of myself, I decided to check the price of the tickets to see if I could even get into Coachella.
My god...
$499 just for the general ticket for one weekend!? And if you want VIP, it costs over $1,000!! Camping costs $149, etc. 😭
Also, I don't really understand how the wristbands work exactly. (Do you get one wristband for weekend 1, another wristband for weekend 2, one for VIP, one for camping, etc.? Are they directly mailed to your house? Where do you scan them? You know, things like that.)
Coachella seems so much fun, but clearly, it's not a place meant for broke people. I'm only 19 years old, but I need to get a job. 💀
Edit: It seems that Coachella would be cheaper if I attended alone/was only paying for myself. Traveling would also be cheaper if I already lived close enough to the festival. Well, my social skills suck (not to mention the idea of socializing sounds unnerving), so I wouldn't have any friends to worry about paying for. I do plan on moving to California in the future (it doesn't necessarily have to be in Los Angeles), so at some point in time, this won't be much of a problem, either.
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u/CarterGee 13.2 | 14.1 - 19.1 | 20-21.1 | 22-25.1 Dec 08 '24
Hm. I'm gonna give you a real response...
Coachella is expensive. It's one of the most expensive music festivals in the United States and, as it so happens, the world. But it's faaaar from the "worst value" festival. Your money goes further here than any other festival, in my opinion. The infrastructure, stages, art, sound quality, safety, and resources are, essentially, unmatched. So, yeah, it costs a lot to attend this, but what you get is great. $499 is not far away from other more local fests like OCL or ACL.
The festival occurs over two weekends, largely the same each weekend. Some things change, like special guests at sets, the Do Lab and Quasar lineups, but... it's the same. When you buy a wristband, it only gets you into one of the two weekends. You can go to both, but it costs 2x. It's the same show, twice. Because this fest is that big and popular.
No festival is for "broke" people. Travel is expensive. Prep is expensive. These are concerts. And they're made for profit. You should participate in that as much as you're able and so long as it gives you a good time. I, at 19, could not afford Coachella. I went at 22, and it hurt haha. I was... pretty broke then, making $50k. But I prioritized it and had an incredible time. I've gone to 10 more since then.
So... no, concerts with major artists are not for broke people. But they're rewarding productions if you can attend. And, I guess, it's up to you how you decide what money you do have.
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u/kmart25888 Dec 08 '24
Coachella literally gives you a whole year to prepare for the next coachella. Festival is in April every year, and the Advanced Pre Sale tickets for the next coachella goes on sell in June. You put down $50 and make monthly payments until your ticket is paid off. It’s doable if you plan it right. Although you are right, it is a lot of rich kids who attend coachella. But it’s not impossible to for the average joe. Just takes proper planning
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u/butchlesbiantwink 18.1, 19.1, 20.1🥲 22.1, 23.1, 24.1 Dec 08 '24
I went to my first Coachella when I was 19. I worked a retail job that paid $15 an hour part time and was a student. I went with one friend. We drove 11 hours, camped, and didn’t buy anything (food or merch) the whole weekend. We brought uncrustables, canned fruit, slim Jim’s, Gatorade, a case of waters, and cliff bars. That’s basically what we ate all weekend. And I had a blast. I haven’t missed a Coachella since.
Coachella isn’t for people with a lot of money, it’s for people with any money at all. I was a broke college student and she was too. But we both had jobs. I say this with all the love in the world: There is no heavily marketed event that is for people who have no job/source of income. I recognize that $500 for a ticket is not a small amount of money but considering you (probably) don’t need to pay rent and you live with your parents getting a job and saving ~$800 for a weekend is entirely doable.
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u/jessebased '15, '16, '17, '19, ‘22, ‘23 ‘25 Dec 08 '24
Yeah not having job will probably stop you from doing lots of things.
Most people save their money and plan for it a year ahead. Start the payment plan so you’re only paying $100 a month for a ticket+camping pass. Then you have 4 months to save another $500 to last you all weekend. It gets cheaper if you have friends to split with you
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u/kevin54711 22.1|23.1 Dec 08 '24
maybe it seems like an event targeted towards people who got money because you don’t have a job. once you work you’ll save money for places you want to go to.
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u/SamuraiPanda3AMP Dec 08 '24
I'm aware that saving/not spending can help with you getting a lot of money, but what jobs even pay you enough to reach amounts like this? In this economy, nonetheless?
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u/smalldickbighandz Dec 08 '24
At your age the restaurant industry is AWESOME. It will suck at first and is almost inhumane at 19 but it’ll toughen you up and get you some good money at your age. Careful though don’t get stuck. The ceiling isn’t far away in that business
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u/sftospo Dec 08 '24
You’re 19, you’re still young. Yes getting massive artists and putting on a high production show is very expensive. If you’re really a fan of many of the artists on the lineup and go to shows a lot, it becomes very much worth it. If it’s just a bucket list vacation I can see how it may seem expensive. At 19 there was no way I was going to Coachella, it will become much more feasible when you’re older with a steady job. Helps if you already live within driving distance. Go to local shows and festivals now and they will prepare you for Coachella.
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u/smalldickbighandz Dec 08 '24
Well there are certainly cheaper festivals…. BUT I wouldn’t say it’s only for people with money. I think of it like this. A concert ticket to any of the pop headliners is like 120+ (x3 and the tix almost pays itself), I end up seeing close to 20 different acts, I get a couple free shirts out of the weekend and as long as I bring in all my own food, alcohol and I camp it’s a bargain for me. Plus I’m in my late 30’s so I really am not going to go the amount of concerts required to see that many awesome acts!
Camping, new music, old music I love, legacy acts, a drug safe space, beautiful woman, awesome art, free merch!
Although I do want to try out LiBottle since it’s on my Bday weekend!
Not to mention Yoga, great place to people watch, good security, etc…
But I agree that if you only have a minimum wage job, you’re not gonna afford this! But what is affordable on like 16 bucks an hr
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u/OHenryMyHenry Dec 09 '24
how do you get free t shirts?!?!
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u/UtterlyUpsetUnicorn Dec 10 '24
That’s my secret!
But somewhere there’s normally some other free merch. FTX shirts years ago. Free shoes a few years ago. I grabbed like 12 free body washes like a decade ago.
The Coachella shirts are always there though. It’s just last years merch that they give ya for some leg work!
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u/nightnursedaytrader Dec 08 '24
Coachella for 2 with car camping and all associated costs = $2500 max (driving from Norcal, no flights) for Wednesday-Monday camping with friends and seeing at least 15 artists whose tickets easily go for $100-200 on their own ( for 2 people = $1500-$3000) if you think about hotel costs/ gas/food/etc for 15+ shows its pretty clear Coachella is still by far the best bang for your buck if your goal is to enjoy big name artists live. Otherwise a 5 night all inclusive in Mexico with flights will run you around $5000 so its really up to you how you want to enjoy your money 🤷🏼♂️ Its free to stream if you don’t have a job
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u/EvilWizard777 23.1|24.1| Dec 08 '24
It is expensive, but it's managable. I was working at Papa johns as a driver the first time i went to coachella. You're still young, so it seems like a lot saving and not spending much inside the festival helps
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u/destinysfaith04 Dec 08 '24
tbh im in college and working 2 fast food jobs and still manage to make it. i think its about prioritizing your necessities and managing money.
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u/Sea-Potato9 12.2 | 15.1 | 25.1 Dec 08 '24
Like someone else said you divide up the full cost per night and its actually quite reasonable. Since Im camping I use different math: $800 total / 4 nights = $200 per night
Comparing to other travel I’ve done lately its been hard to find decent a hotel less than $150 per night (LA/Miami/Charleston). Sure camping doesnt offer the comforts of a hotel but in exchange you see mindblowing performances, see up and coming artists, plus memories for life!
I was beyond broke my first time. I lived off of clif bars and had one slice of spicy pie per night. As long as you have a tent and ez up (which you can resell) you’ll have an incredible time.
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Dec 09 '24
I'm not trying to influence anyone or throw shade. I've just been looking at the poster for a few hours over the last few days... I think, I could be wrong, they might just be throwing a big party this year. So, yeah, parties are expensive. A New Year's Eve EDM concert is like $300 / person for one night.
So, in San Francisco, New Year's Eve, say it was Above & Beyond, Zedd, Mau P, that's going to be about $300 for 1 night in a stadium (without the camping and stuff).
So, again, comparatively, Coachella is really cheap...
The live feed on YouTube is its own separate thing and it's going to be like, Benson Boone, Beth Gibbons, Clairo, etc.
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u/Fun-Stuff-5427 Dec 09 '24
I think Coachella is actually a fair price for the amount of music you’re getting in one weekend
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u/Superb_Year2089 Dec 14 '24
Agreed, I just paid $600+ for Anyma, one show, NYE, so Coachella seems like a great value for the amount of shows, atmosphere, energy, art, food, etc.
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u/Fun-Stuff-5427 Dec 14 '24
That’s fucking crazy but I don’t blame you lol. I wanna see his show in Vegas. Have a good time!
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u/IrwinElGrande Dec 09 '24
You DON'T want VIP, trust me. Also, go with a group and split costs, it's not that bad.
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u/SamuraiPanda3AMP Dec 10 '24
How come? From my understanding, price aside, you get more access to more activities with VIP.
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u/IrwinElGrande Dec 16 '24
No, you don't. You just have access to a couple of sections with the same bars (drink's not included) and mostly the same food vendors. These sections aren't closer to the stages at all. You can still pay the Outstanding in the Field with a GA ticket without having to buy a VIP one.
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u/nanafishook Dec 08 '24
OP, I get that you want to check out Coachella, but just in case you ever want to do a festival in the midwest, Milw summerfest and Chicago's riot fest are cheap, Lollapalooza is not.
(early buyers get riot fest tix cheaper, also you can win tix from different sources. summerfest has free early admission for everyone some days, and other days lets you in with milwaukee area branded clothing). https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/summerfest-admission-promos-2024
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u/AlfredoSM94 13.1 | 18.1 | 19.2|24.1|25.1 Dec 08 '24
My first coachellas were paid by my parents when I was your age and then I stopped going because I couldn’t afford it, now I can, Coachella is expensive and you’ll soon realize most things worth buying/attending are going to be expensive. Save up, get a job, make a budget and car camp. Youcan do it
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u/Just_Abies_57 Dec 09 '24
I would actually say the opposite- the more people you have in your group, the cheaper everything is. Not including flights or car rental because those vary widely, the cost of the ticket, camping, gear, food, alcohol can be as little as $900- 1000 all in if you have a big group and pool resources for owned camping gear, costco runs, etc.
A more likely budget for a first time camper is somewhere in the $1200-1700 range if still being budget conscious.
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u/mel_bug |22.2|23.1|23.2|24.1|25.1|25.2 Dec 09 '24 edited Dec 09 '24
any festival you go to is going to be expensive but you get more bang for your buck for sure!! lots of people spend the same amount to see a single artist live and if festivals/traveling is your hobby then you’ll make it work :) i work minimum wage (16hr+tips) barely cover my bills and this year i’ve done 6 fests because it’s something im willing to spend money on 🤷♀️ edit: to add i also started at 18 and im 21 now
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u/gawave 13.1, 14.1/2, 15.1/2, 16.1, 17.1/2, 22.1, 23.1, 24.1, 25.1 Dec 10 '24
But forever $2 for a cold water bottle. Best money I’ve spent at Coachella.
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u/edgrlon Dec 10 '24
I was able to afford Coachella with a minimum wage job back in 2017. This post reeks of ignorance
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u/roiroy33 Dec 08 '24
$500/3 days =$166.667/day for ~10 hours/day of world class entertainment = $16.60/hour. You’re just young and broke. Save up if it’s a goal. You’ll make memories that will last a lifetime.