To quote the great Gloria Gaynor: “At first I was afraid, I was petrified.”
That’s a slight exaggeration, but honestly, the scale of Coachella is immense. Multiple show stages, seemingly endless grass fields, people everywhere. And it demands a lot too, from your energy to money to time.
But that goes for most good things in life, right?
This year I went to my first Coachella, Weekend 1, and I did it solo. Turns out it’s not as uncommon as I’d thought, and in some ways, as long as you’ve got your head on straight, it’s more freeing than having to negotiate the logistics and preferences of a group. On that note, spoiler alert: I wasn’t truly solo the whole weekend! More on that shortly.
So my actual answer to the title question: A bit challenging, but so worth it.
I’ve solo traveled before internationally, but doing Coachella solo did intimidate me at first. Personally, I don’t think it’s a beginner solo excursion. (To me, that’d be like going to the movies alone, which I also love.) What helped me get past being “petrified” was a combo of my passion for the music + research, research, research (ahem, crawling Reddit) + a desire to check off another bucket list item, a.k.a. do more for the plot.
In the spirit of paying it forward, I’ll share my data points and some tips for Coachella, mixing in a few reflections along the way. Buckle up, I went a bit crazy with this one…!
MUSIC
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much about Coachella’s backstory until I started preparing for my trip this year. This article by NPR gives a great overview of the history of the festival and its relationship with its host and surrounding cities. It’s an annual economic shot in the arm, but not without complications. Nevertheless, it’s become a music mecca.
My relationship with music–both playing it and enjoying it–has waxed and waned over my life. In recent years though, possessing more adult money combined with a growing desire to feel something that’s inverse to my waning enthusiasm for corporate America has resulted in…many concert ticket purchases. Many. I’ve also finally learned that while it’s great to go to shows with a group and vibe together, I have just as good of a time with myself and my interior world, letting the sound, lyrics, and ambience activate my emotions and memories.
Frustratingly, Coachella did not release the detailed timetable until literal days before Weekend 1. But once I got my hands on it, the planner in me got to work. With so many artists in one place, how could I not maximize bang for my buck? I agonized over conflicting performance times (sets), made backup plans and strategies, and clocked in to the grounds each day like it was my job. (This is of course a joke; and my experience was nothing like that of people who actually worked the event.) I ended up seeing around 30 artists over the weekend, which required seeing some sets only in part, although I nearly always managed to be in the crowd when they played my favorite songs. Magic.
The Coachella app has a schedule builder function, but I didn’t want to risk the app not loading due to weak signal issues, which is very real on-site. Instead, I did things the old-ish school way: I kept a note in my phone. This way, I could also note to myself when I needed to leave a set to make the next one, as well as jot down a quick impression of something. For any sets I missed in part or entirely, or just wanted to re-live, I made sure to watch them on the Weekend 2 YouTube livestream (my evidence).
My personal standouts included the xx (oh, the millennial nostalgia); BIG BANG (oh, the Asian American millennial nostalga); BINI (sunshine personified from The Philippines); Laufey (majestic); Not For Radio (gorgeous yearning and agony); Nine Inch Noize (jaw-dropping); Jack White (EPIC); rusowsky (an entire vibe); and I’m stopping here or else this post will not end!
And OK, I admit it: after witnessing Bieberchella, I am now giving Justin Bieber’s discography another try. I didn’t grow up in love with him, more of a peripheral observer. But he impressed me with how smooth and strong his voice was live.
Perhaps my favorite part of the weekend was hearing artists tell the audience that it was their dream to play Coachella. These moments were super endearing. My dream was just to attend, but I left with newfound inspiration for crafting my life.
EXPENSES
My preface to this section is that Coachella has become an adult Disneyland and is priced accordingly. I also a) have been fortunate with a great job for the past almost 2 years to help fund this trip and b) made some emotional spending choices.
Festival Passes: I bought my Coachella passes last year, May 2025, after feelings of missing out that’d built up over the years finally poured over. Well, I was also treating myself to a lotta splurges post a super painful breakup. My ex told me to love myself, so what better way, right? 😉 And that’s on healing. OK, the numbers. I purchased a package for a general admission (GA) festival pass plus a shuttle pass for $679. There was also a $50 service fee and $15 postage and shipping fee, which racks up to $744 in total. This sounds like a lot, but the amount of music I got to see certainly helped soothe the financial wound.
Accommodations: I paid $1,112.78 for 4 nights in an Airbnb, which was a room in a retired couple’s home. (Four because I opted to arrive Thursday to have a “prep” day before Coachella started Friday.) They rented out 2 other rooms for the weekend. While it could’ve been chaotic and I didn’t love sharing one bathroom, everyone was great about protecting the peace of the place. This was actually one of two Airbnbs I’d reserved, after seeing horror stories of hosts last-minute canceling reservations. About a month out from the festival, I sent a message to double-confirm with the retired couple, then took a leap of faith and canceled the other one I’d booked since its free cancellation deadline was sooner. I lucked out because that one also happened to be farther away from the festival grounds.
Transportation: I live in the Los Angeles area now, just over two hours from the Coachella area, so my transportation costs consisted of the ~$50 I spent on gas getting myself to Indio in my hybrid. Parking was free in the residential neighborhood of my Airbnb. You could also include my Coachella shuttle pass here, which I actually didn’t end up using because I was able to drive and park each day at the festival. I had gotten the pass just in case a year ago, not knowing which Airbnb I’d ultimately end up in.
Food & Beverage: I lost track of my receipts here, but I think I spent about $300 over the weekend. I didn’t buy any alcohol and snuck in some smart snacks like pistachios, so that brought my costs down a tiny bit. On Thursday, my prep day, I had dinner and ice cream at local spots and bought some jugs of water from the local Walmart. Then for all three festival days, I indulged in McDonald’s breakfasts (so bad, I know). Once I was inside the festival grounds? I accepted that I was a captive consumer and that it cost the vendors to make the food and drink stalls possible. With that said, I did cry a bit inside after paying, for example, $14 for an iced mate drink and $28 for a poke bowl. The bowl had a lot of protein, and I included a small tip, but still. Obligatory tip — the other kind: make sure to complete your transaction by hitting the “done” button. Unfortunately, when people have forgotten this step, there have been instances of less scrupulous workers helping themselves to outsized tips.
Merchandise: …I am ashamed to divulge that I went a little crazy here. I justified it as “I could die tomorrow / I don’t know if I’ll ever come again.” This is how I ended up with about $600 in merch receipts, spread across some online orders before the festival and on-site purchases. I did end up selling one hoodie that didn’t fit me for a slight discount on Facebook Marketplace. But still, baaad me.
Freebies: Coachella is now also known for the various brand activations and pop-ups both on the grounds and off each year. Some are invite-only for artists and influencers. I didn’t prioritize going to these, but on Sunday I managed to pop into the Barbie and e.l.f. cosmetics tents, where I got to take home a customized keychain (probably worth $1, lol) and two lip balms.
I guess the only other thing to account for is that I took 3 vacation days off from my job for this. But leaving that out, if you’ve been even loosely keeping track of the dollar amount here, yes, it gets to be a lot ($$$$).
ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY
Naturally, my mom was nervous about me–a woman, by myself, in a place I’d never been, sharing an Airbnb with a bunch of other people. In reality, Indio, where the Coachella grounds are, is a quiet desert town when it isn’t playing host to big events. Again, fortunately the other guests in my Airbnb were courteous and quiet after each night, and we always made pleasant conversation whenever we ran into each other.
At the grounds themselves, the greatest risks I faced were probably heatstroke and “Coachella cough” more than anything else. (I’m happy to report I successfully avoided both–more on this in sections below.) Oh, and phone pickpocketing, although again, heeding other people’s warnings and being vigilant ensured I came home with my phone. For everything else, there were clear signage and ample staff available to answer questions and give directions.
I will add that because I was traveling alone, I opted out of alcoholic drinks and other substances. Well, I did take a sip of one new friend’s drink because I trusted them. Other than that, I just didn’t want to risk it. I was also having dry eye issues so didn’t want to do anything to aggravate that. The positive spin on this is that I saved some money, which I blew on Coachella merch (as outlined above). I also just really wanted to experience my “firstchella” with a totally clear head.
HEALTH
Physical Preparation: There are many ways to “do” Coachella, but look, the bottom line is that this is not for those who are weak in spirit! If you’re walking, expect to clock at minimum 20 thousand steps, depending on how many stages you hustle back and forth between each day. (My left big toe was partially numb for nearly a week afterward… I was worried!) You will also be doing this under the desert sun during the day, and then the desert chill at night. If you don’t get around 10 thousand daily steps on average, training to up that number will serve you well. Accessibility-wise though, I do commend Coachella for their planning. Beyond the official guidance, Coachella attendees have also kindly shared amazing tips via social media so that people of varying abilities can enjoy the festival.
Daily Supplies: I made a video about some of the key things I’d packed in my daily bag. Health-wise, the keys here were my sunblock, ear plugs (save your ears, music lovers!), electrolyte powder packets, plastic water bottles (no glass or metal allowed at Coachella), and hand sanitizer. I would enter the grounds, fill my water bottle, pour in the electrolytes, and start sipping to set myself up for the day. The hand sanitizer came in clutch when the porta sinks (is that what they’re called?) outside the porta potties ran out of water. I also had eye drops, antihistamines, painkillers, face masks (see my wardrobe section below), and pain relief patches. I kept adding things because I thought “oh, it doesn’t weigh anything,” but it definitely added up. This is where going solo can be a bit of a drag, since with a group you could divide and conquer carrying the essentials.
Daily Recovery: I had a pretty thorough wind-down checklist that I went through after I got back to my Airbnb each night. If I haven’t made it clear already, Coachella is an endurance game, so treat it as such and you’ll be golden. For me, besides the basics like showering and removing all my makeup, I also propped my legs up against the wall to drain them; foam-rolled my legs and butt; did a spa mask; applied my dry eye ointment; and did a nasal rinse with a neti pot. That last tip came from someone on Reddit and was super key. I knew saying goodbye to the highs of Coachella would already be hard. I didn’t want to make it harder by contracting Coachella cough!
WARDROBE
Coachella is a great excuse to buy new outfits, but I limited myself and only caved in to buying a floral headscarf accessory at TJMaxx. Admittedly, I’d already added a lot to my closet last year, so I had plenty of outfit options.
The week before Coachella, I felt briefly pressured to look more like social media influencers after watching their “festival fashion” videos, but I backed off that idea just as quickly. I had to remind myself that festival fashion could be as simple as a T-shirt and shorts all weekend. My outfits ended up somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, and I was pretty happy with them!
Obviously, the weather forecast was paramount; I came across this intense trend analysis on the Coachella subreddit. Basically, it played out as expected: hot during the day, and chillier and windier when the sun went down. Pack layers if possible! I repurposed a long-sleeve rash guard jacket I’d bought for a prior Hawaii trip and very packable ripstop nylon dance pants (example). The pants in particular were super clutch: I had them folded in my bag during the day and popped them on at night. Some people opt for those warming foil emergency blankets, but the crinkly sounds they make can be uh, divisive.
Whatever you do, don’t forget SPF sun protection all day, and face masks for when the desert dust kicks up. I saw some people just use scarves or bandannas, and I tried too, but they require frequent adjusting because they move around–not ideal. While N95 masks would probably have been even better, my surgical masks seemed to have been enough.
PEOPLE
Alright, first things first. I’ve been able to put off this confession for this long in this post — now here goes. I’ve gotten deeply heartsick and jealous before at seeing both people I know and don’t know share photos and videos of their group, all smiles, enjoying Coachella together. Actually, my feelings are not even unique to Coachella. I’ve just never been part of a big friend group. (Thankfully, it appears that it’s not uncommon.) It’s part of what’s held me back from going to Coachella sooner, aside from the arguably-more-critical factor of the monetary outlay required. Despite how I’m an only child and how I’ve gotten used to adventuring solo due to being single, different preferences, geographic constraints, or good ol’ schedule conflicts–for some reason I had built up intense self-consciousness and hesitation about doing Coachella solo. “Everyone else has people beside them in their pictures!” Put another way, I had the wrong idea that I “can’t” do it if it’s just going to be me.
But as I’ve shared earlier, I now get a lot out of enjoying music by myself, and I was fed up with my self-limiting beliefs. Turns out, getting mad at yourself can be a valid strategy for pushing yourself to live more fully. And the funny thing is, learning to be more vocal about my current obsession with live music has helped me meet new people or strengthen existing connections. This has happened against larger mindset shifts I’ve been cultivating, including appreciating the serendipity of crossing paths with good people now, and not putting any expectations on the future. Maybe this is how most people have always lived, but I’ve personally had to go on a journey of learning to not put pressure on connections. Learning about the benefits of “weak ties” has helped immensely.
So while I planned for Coachella alone, I did end up making new connections. It helps that with Coachella, there’s some degree of influence from rave culture, specifically a philosophy known as Peace Love Unity Respect, a.k.a. PLUR. Earlier I’d stated that doing Coachella solo was not for solo excursion newbies, but with this positive halo from PLUR, you can go far with a smile and not always being hunched over your phone.
And about that: ironically, I didn’t end up actually making new connections in-person, but I did meet up with new Coachella “Reddit friends.” My mom was a bit alarmed about this, but I assured her I had my head on straight and that this was part of festival culture. I forget the exact details of our origin story, but the gist is that one person posted in the Coachella subreddit about creating a chat group. A bunch of people asked to join, including me…and voilà! A large chunk of us “Chucks” — our nickname for ourselves — managed to meet up for a group photo on day 2, a minor miracle.
Whether we stay in touch long term or not, when I look at this picture, I’m proud of how I found ways to connect with other people. I’ve been working on this “muscle” since even before my breakup last year and heavily stepped it up afterward. I could have let my self-consciousness about flying solo hold me back from even trying to meet people, but strangely enough, it made me braver!
Another maybe-obvious confession: While I’ve always wished I could be more mysterious and coy, I inevitably fail. I guess the existence of this blog further proves this. But this worked out in my favor at a friend’s birthday party a few weeks before Coachella. I mentioned to another woman there that I was going to Coachella, and we stayed in touch and met up on day 2, spotty cell signal be damned! She had even made me trading cards to mark the occasion of my first Coachella, which I’ve now carefully stored in my memory box. Thank you, N–I’ll treasure these forever!
A final anecdote: I was waiting in line for a photo opp and had asked a guy behind me — or in front? I forget — if he’d be willing to take pictures for me. He agreed, and I got the shots I wanted quickly because by this point in the weekend, I was well-prepared with my poses so that I wouldn’t take up too much of strangers’ time. Well then he gifted me a little leaf clip for my hat! We both had places to get to so we didn’t chat long, but on the incredible off chance he ever sees this, I just want to say thank you again!
I feel very lucky that I didn’t have any negative encounters, unless you count me joining in with people heckling some line-cutters. Which means, unfortunately for my wallet, I now have more confidence for more solo excursions.
—
So…would I go again? Before finally sitting down to write this blog post, which hopefully helps someone, solo traveling or not, with their planning, I caught up with one of my new friends in LA. She’d been excited for me and my trip before I left and asked how it went. I gave her a summary and cursed my iCloud album for not loading things fast enough. Well, afterwards she chatted about it with one of her friends… and it looks like I may be going with a group next year!
My friend and I have already secured our 2027 passes, though the advance sale was a nail-biter. I’m excited to experience the festival differently next year, but I think my memories of this first time going it alone will always be extra precious to me.
So if you’re thinking about going it alone? You can do it, and I’ll bet you’ll have amazing stories to share!
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What I’m reading: The Baddiest Bitch in the Room: A Memoir by Sophia Chang. I’ve been fascinated by her life and career story since learning of her a few years ago. Her memoir has been inspiring, interesting, and surprising. Just what I need as I’m trying to figure out what to do next with my life.
What I’m listening to: Kacey Musgraves’s new album Middle of Nowhere. I grew up in Texas, but I typically shied away from country. It just didn’t feel relatable or welcome to me. But I’ve been putting some of it into my listening rotation now because I’m learning guitar and I’m seeing that the lyrical storytelling can be really rich and clever. I caught the livestream of Kacey’s Weekend 2 set at this year’s Coachella, and I really enjoyed it!
What I’m trying: Really truly learning to work on anything — projects, cleaning, photo organizing — in pieces. A while back I lost this “muscle” and in retrospect lost a lot to perfectionism or straight-up laziness. I don’t want to do that again!
Edited May 10 to add that I had earplugs in my daily bag!
Your thoughts?