ELLIE SKJERSAA / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

In the valley of Indio, California, a rich agricultural desert is annually transformed into a  colorful and  artistic haven for music-lovers. People around the world know it as Coachella. Large crowds, popular musicians and artists alike gather throughout two   consecutive   three-day  weekends in April. With its  close  proximity to San Diego, some Toreros find themselves joining in on the festivities — if they can afford the steep price of admission.

“Being here in San Diego, it’s such a short drive,” USD senior Alexa Gutierrez said. “You have four years to go so if you go at least once, you can get it off your bucket list.”

USD senior Lulu Kienast shared a similar sentiment.

“My parents would always go to Coachella when I was growing up, so it was always something that I wanted to do,” Kienast said. “I got the opportunity to go freshman year for free, and I went.”

The festival began in 1999   after    the   decline    of    Woodstock, a popular music festival, and has amassed immense success. However, Coachella did not begin as the glamorous getaway that it is known as today. It started from humble beginnings with the intention  of   rebelling  against  the corporate greed of Ticketmaster.

In the early 90s, American rock   band,  Pearl  Jam  infamously turned away from Ticketmaster   and  decided   to  sell tickets separately. In  1994,  the  Justice Department helped the band file  an antitrust  complaint against the company on the grounds  that they  had been monopolizing concert venues and ripping off consumers. The main area of price gouging occurred in service fees. 

After Pearl Jam abandoned their tour with Ticketmaster, they  began  the  search   for  venues separate from the company and in 1993, found themselves  in  the  small  town of Indio, California. With  tickets  sold   for  the  low  price  of   18   dollars  with  a  maximum   service  fee  of one dollar and 80 cents, Pearl Jam performed for an  estimated  audience  of  25,000  people. The success of the    performance   at   the  Empire Polo Club, where Coachella takes place today, fueled   the  creation  of  Coachella, confirming that this venue could  indeed  draw  in  a  crowd.

With  the  help   of   Goldenvoice, a concert promoter, the festival launched and took off quickly. This year, Coachella drew in a crowd of around 125,000 people per day, including many top-hit headliners and admired celebrities. 

However, ticket prices are continuing  to  increase. Coachella   tickets   were   once  sold for 50 dollars. However, tickets today are sold for around 600 dollars or more — not including necessities such as food, lodging  and transportation. USD senior Nancy Aguilar-Lopez attended Coachella in 2024 and shared what held her back from returning   to   the   valley   this  year.

“The reason I chose not to  go this year was because of artists and price,” Aguilar-Lopez said. “I was not willing to pay that price because there were only two or three artists that I really liked.”

This year, a survey found that 60 percent of people who attended  the festival used a payment plan. Some students believe that the price increase may have to  do with its  evolution from an  indie  and alternative music festival to a general display of pop culture.

“I heard a lot about how Coachella used to be the ‘go-to’ indie  festival, and  now   you   don’t  see  a  lot  of independent  artists   anymore,” Gutierrez  said. “If they are performing, they’re   one   of  the  first  sets when the venue is empty. I think it has to do a lot with consumerism and growing on a global scale. Now Coachella is trying to bring in all audiences. Instead of caring more about giving a voice to independent artists, they’re just making money   out   of  mainstream  stuff.”

Additionally, throughout the years that Coachella has taken place, there has been an expansion in the technology realm. With the creation and large impact of social media, the culture of the festival itself has transformed, too. 

“I  feel  like  sometimes  phones ruin the vibe for concerts,” Aguilar-Lopez said. “I [won’t] say that I don’t do it, but everyone having their phones up, it’s so insane. Festival culture has changed over the years, and it’s actually really sad. Sometimes I am jumping and enjoying it, but then I’m like, ‘Wait, am I being too much? No one else is at the same energy as me.’”

In a time where everything is posted online for all to see, criticism surrounding the outfits worn to festivals such as Coachella have taken the forefront,   specifically   stemming from cultural appropriation of Indigenous culture.  Cultural  appropriation involves inappropriately or ignorantly borrowing from the cultures,  practices  or  beliefs  of one group that has historically been excluded by a more  dominant group of society. Coachella  historically has taken on a bohemian aesthetic, inspired  by the legacy of  Woodstock  and  the hippie movement throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s. However, with the presence of social  media,  peoples   voices  are   now   amplified  and  bringing awareness to the dangers of inappropriate representation.

“I think if we now saw outfits that people wore to Coachella in 2010, it would be very controversial,” Gutierrez said. “If you’re publishing it on Tiktok, you’re subject to getting cancelled because of one little accessory.”

Other students feel that educating oneself is something that can be done on an individual as well as an  organizational  level.

“I think it’s important to educate yourself about what you’re wearing, and I think sometimes, people  don’t  do that,” Kienast said. “That’s something Coachella can work on. I think it’s definitely important for people to understand what they’re wearing, especially at a big place like Coachella where there are people there from all walks of life.”

While    Coachella   has    evolved from humble, anti-corporate beginnings into a global    cultural   phenomenon,    its    transformation    has   not   been   without  criticism. What was once a generally affordable celebration of indie  music  has  become  an  expensive and highly curated experience. For many USD students,  the  close-to-home festival remains an exciting life  goal — yet rising costs and  increasing social awareness around issues like cultural    appropriation     highlight  Coachella’s  changing  tides.  As the  festival  continues   to grow, so  does  the responsibility of both organizers and attendees to honor the diverse cultures and communities that make it what it is today. 

This year, masses of folks from around the globe came together to enjoy the music festival, Coachella. Photo courtesy of @coachella/Instagram