The Evolution of Coachella
The Coachella music festival is one of the biggest pop culture events that occurs during the year. It’s been able to remain so popular and relevant through its continuous changes and modifications since October 1999. Coachella is referred to as the greatest music festival in the world, and this comes from its ability to truly stay up on the times, especially in a rapidly changing world like ours.
Every year, like clockwork, the biggest celebrities get to party in the desert and show off their trendiest outfits like they’re strutting on a runway. The fashion, performances and location are all among the many elements that keep the crowds coming back each year.
It was first hosted at the Empire Polo Field in India, California. Some of the headliners at this event included Beck, Rage Against The Machine, and Tool, but performances ranged over all genres. It was overall not profitable, and it took a brief hiatus the following year. After coming back to the festival scene in 2001, Coachella has been on an upward trajectory.
It’s transformed from a singular weekend event to spanning over two consecutive weekends, each with multiple stages. Coachella also made the switch from an October festival to April. Temperatures were far too extreme in the desert heat for attendees to enjoy their experience, so it was decided that springtime would be better.
The price point and demand of tickets is another aspect of Coachella that’s changed dramatically. It might be hard to believe but there was once a time when tickets were only $50. Now, passes can be expected to go for upwards of $500. In 2019 it was reported that the first weekend sold out within 40 minutes.
Technology has transformed the event to be something that can be experienced by the entire world rather than just the attendees. In a world of social media, everyone looks forward to videos of performances, pictures of celebrities’ outfits and more.
As influencers have become more normalized in our culture, they’ve become the hit of many pop culture events like Coachella. Influencers do face a more significant amount of judgment on social media, and Coachella is no exception. The fashion seen at the festival this year is no exception to this.
This year, celebrities were spotted in more lowkey outfits than typical “Coachella fashion.” Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner were a few of the many celebrities seen in jeans and a tank top. People were then quick to judge influencers for pulling out all the stops to achieve the Coachella look, for example, James Charles.
The question has been brought up ‘is Coachella fashion dead?’ While this year may have looked more tame than normal, it’s anything but dead. Influencers’ jobs are to be in the spotlight and draw attention to themselves, so we will always be able to count on them to keep building up the hype around Coachella.
After 20 years, the festival has been able to remain on the top of everyone's priority list for a reason. Coachella will continue to soar over everyone’s expectations and remain relevant for a long time as it continues to evolve.