Festival-goers roaming the grounds at Coachella with palm trees and mountains above. Coachella is an annual musical festival in California that has evolved from its humble beginnings into a global cultural phenomenon. Photo by hannah.rosen via Openverse
“This was Coachella 2016, this was the vibe at the time okay? You need to understand,” says Kendall Jenner, model and media personality, reflecting on her past look in an interview with Vogue in 2022. Coachella is undeniably the most popular music festival in the U.S., or even the world. Every year, famous artists headline the event, while everyone from families on vacation to A-list celebrities partake in the internationally famous music festival.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held annually in Indio, California. Aside from going to music performances, Coachella attendees can view art — mostly sculptures — at the venue, and enjoy many food and drink options. Nowadays, average daily attendance is at about 125,000. Compared to the first Coachella, attendance has quintupled. At the first Coachella, 25,000 people attended according to Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., a publishing company. It has evolved from a small alternative rock festival to a cultural phenomenon. Fashion has become an integral part of the festival experience, evolving alongside the music lineup over the years.
The first Coachella was held Oct. 9-10 in 1999, introduced as an alternative music festival with rock bands such as Beck, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine playing at the event. Coachella was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. Though co-founded by Tollett and Santen, Coachella is now owned by Philip Anschutz, an 84-year-old billionaire who owns AEG.
In the early years of Coachella, the absence of social media such as Instagram and of the growing trend of individuals trying to gain fame and influence — through said social media platforms — minimized the pressure of Coachella attendees to dress in seemingly impractical outfits. Nowadays, people attending Coachella spend a lot of time in their outfits, buying daring clothing hoping to stand out among the thousands of festival goers. “Audience members were seen wearing typical summertime outfits in the late ’00s. Many festival goers wore baseball caps or visors and low-rise denim shorts, often paired with simple bikini tops, tank tops, and button-downs. The attire was casual, simple, and practical for enjoying music during a warm day,” writes Callie Ahlgrim, a writer for Business Insider, in an article about the changing fashion of the festival.
Transitioning to the 2010s, the fashion at Coachella amplified along with the release of Instagram — which was released to the public in 2010 — helped Coachella become a destination for not just music enthusiasts, but also celebrities and influencers.
Labeled the “Queen of Coachella” by Us Weekly, Coachella fashion rested on the back of “High School Musical” star, Vanessa Hudgens, throughout the 2010s. Hudgens was known for her bohemian, flowy, effortless outfits while attending Coachella. Wide brim hats, chunky jewelry, vintage denim, and extravagant accessories were in. The flower crown was becoming a festival staple, a part of Hudgens’ 2012 Coachella look. These early trends of Coachella represent the diverse, fashion-forward attendees at Coachella as the music festival grew in popularity. In 2015, other celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Paris Hilton both showed up to Coachella in hippie or bohemian inspired outfits, proving that the bohemian fashion was making a comeback, especially on the festival front. These trends reflected the festival’s laid-back, California vibe and attracted a diverse crowd of stylish attendees.
In the past decade, influencers started attending Coachella and vlogging the experience with their followers. They posted videos and pictures displaying their festival outfits, the performances they attended, and the overall vibe of the event. Emma Chamberlain, media personality and YouTuber, has gone viral for her many vlogs showcasing the “real” Coachella experience. With videos titled, “AN ACCURATE COACHELLA EXPERIENCE” and “the truth about coachella (everyone else is lying to you),” Chamberlain shamelessly gives her subscribers an inside view on what Coachella is like. These posts generate a substantial amount of buzz on social media and contribute to Coachella’s growing reputation as a cultural event where fashion and music intersect.
These days, Coachella is, for the most part, about fashion. Edie Stanely, a Franklin junior, comments, “The side dish is the music, but the main dish is their outfits.” Fellow Franklin student Otto Eichman adds, “I think it’s an excuse for people to dress however they want and have fun with their style.”
Countless celebrities take part in the fashion show that is Coachella. Many have been seen dressing in iconic outfits at music festivals, such as the Jenner sisters, Kendall and Kylie. In 2015, model Kendall Jenner wore denim jorts with a metal flower belt paired with a bikini top and suede vest along with plenty of accessories, feeding into the cowboy-esque aesthetic. Along with Kylie Jenner in an off-white outfit and long blue hair, the two sisters made quite a stir. Rihanna has also been seen at Coachella in fashionable ensembles. In 2017, the successful singer, businesswoman, and actress wore a Gucci bodysuit and mask embellished with diamonds under a tank top and jean shorts with a black leather-studded belt to the event, flaunting her wealth in style. The presence of celebrities at Coachella has amplified its fashion influence, shaping trends both within the festival grounds and in mainstream culture. Coachella has encouraged attendees to find more ethical ways to express themselves when attending the music festival, launching the Coachella Art Studios, where visitors can experiment with sustainable fashion.
Goodwill Industries International (GII) and Goodwill of Southern California partnered with the Los Angeles-based Scene Creative to create the Coachella Art Studios. The Coachella Art Studios is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day of the event with different crafts and thrifted clothing available for free, allowing guests to make their own clothes and jewelry. This sub-event of Coachella embraces sustainable fashion practices, and it is an amazing response to the unsupportable fast fashion industry.
Other initiatives that Coachella has launched are also big on sustainability. Two of their most popular are the “Carpoolchella” and the “Bring Your Own (BYO) Bottle.” The Carpoolchella campaign encourages staff and attendees to do their part in making the planet a better and cleaner place. Carpoolchella is an initiative in which attendees who carpool with four or more friends to Coachella are picked at random to win prizes. Prizes offered to those who participate in the effort can win rewards such as VIP for life, backstage passes, and other upgrades. This is part of Coachella’s effort to reduce carbon emissions on festival grounds. Along with Carpoolchella, Coachella also uses solar-powered electric generators and electric utility carts. The BYO Bottle motivates guests to bring a reusable water bottle to reduce plastic waste while attending. Coachella also added more water spigots at the venue, making it more convenient for visitors to refill their water bottles.
Additionally, in 2023, Coachella made history as the first iteration of the festival where none of the headliners were white. Blackpink, Frank Ocean, and Bad Bunny were part of the lineup, showcasing a significant shift towards recognizing diversity in the music industry. This event not only celebrated the talent of non-white performers but also took a step towards representation and diversity in entertainment. Coachella 2023 served as a reminder of the importance of amplifying voices that have been previously underrepresented on prominent stages.
Eichman shares his insight on the future of Coachella: “I envision Coachella getting weirder and weirder, but for the younger generation, it’ll be their normal.” In the years ahead, Coachella is set to offer even more diverse lineups and performances, bringing together a global array of musical talent to cater to its ever-expanding audience. Innovative experiences like virtual reality concerts and augmented reality (AR) art installations can be expected to elevate the festival’s immersive atmosphere.
This year, Coachella has once again raised the bar with its immersive and interactive AR experiences which allow festival-goers to engage with art installations, explore the festival grounds, and even create their own AR environments. “By harnessing the power of AR, Coachella is not only enhancing the festival experience but also paving the way for the future of live events and marketing,” writes Crosscreators, a marketplace for AR marketing. Sustainability initiatives will take center stage in the future of Coachella, with doubling down on eco-friendly practices to reduce waste and carbon emissions. Fashion will remain a focal point of the festival, with attendees expressing themselves however they like. As Coachella’s global reach expands, it will further solidify its status as a cultural phenomenon. Overall, the future of Coachella promises continued innovation, creativity, and cultural relevance as the festival evolves to meet the changing needs and desires of its attendees while staying true to its core values of music, art, and community.
