Every April, thousands of California natives gather collectively to one place —the city of Indio, CA— to attend The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, an annual outdoor event, introduced in 1999, featuring headliners from some of the biggest names in music such as Lady Gaga and Jay-Z along with a multitude of other underground artists. This year, Coachella commenced at its signature setting, Empire Polo Club, on Friday, April 13 and continued into the next weekend concluding on Sunday April the 22.

With dozens of musicians who were scheduled to perform at the annual event spanning a variety of genres ranging from pop to alternative, it is safe to say that Coachella had a little something for each of its attendees despite their differences in music taste.

Alain Hernandez, a senior who got a chance to see the lineup of musical acts when it was first published, was instantly impressed with the artists selected to perform at Coachella this year.

“I think the lineup for this year is really cool,” Hernandez said. “It’s just exciting to see that there is going to be some rappers performing that I listen to alot like Vince Staples and Migos as well as some good bands.”

Yet avid music listener Sara Villalobos, 12, was not really satisfied with Coachella’s 2018 lineup when she examined the list of acts scheduled to perform and instead thought it was quite underwhelming.

“I don’t know. I feel like their lineup is always the same each year,” Villalobos said. “I really wish there could have been bigger artists because I don’t think I should have to pay that much money just to see a bunch of underground musicians perform.”

With temperatures occasionally reaching into the 90s as well as tickets ranging from around $400 for general admission to $900 for VIP passes and selling out in a short amount of time, going to Coachella may seem like a daunting task for some. Despite this, the festival still amasses crowds of tens of thousands of music enthusiasts annually, including senior Joanathen Rios, along with different celebrities, showing how much of a priority it is for people to be at Coachella.  

“I was just really excited to get a chance to go to the festival for the first time this year and I wasn’t really worried about the traveling and the heat,” Rios said. “It was cool seeing all of my favorite artists and I would definitely do it again if I could.”

Rebecca Hernandez, 12, who was considering buying a ticket until she found out much admission fees were, describes how taken aback she was from discovering the price tag that comes along with getting a chance to experience Coachella and hopes that she can attend in the future.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Coachella, but when I saw how much it was just for regular tickets, I gave up,” Hernandez said. “Maybe, when I get older and have a job I’ll buy tickets and go with my friends, but for now it’s a no.”

Almost as talked about as the event itself is perhaps the fashions worn by those attending it. In the spring days building up towards Coachella, clothing retailers such as Topshop and British online store ASOS, design looks associated with the aesthetic of festival wear which changes and is elevated in some sort of way each year, but typically includes elements such as bright colors, pieces geared for combatting the heat, as well as Bohemian inspired looks.

President of Encore Fashion Club and senior Monserrath Ramirez, clarifies what she thinks was “in” for festival wear this year and was glad to see attendees ditched their norm of wearing flower crowns and chokers.

“The trend is really big on Rhinestones and having long hair with extensions with it styled crazy and wild, but not too wild and wearing reflective glasses was really popular too,” Ramirez said. “I really liked seeing some new styles this year instead of the usual stuff that girls always wear.”

One of the biggest headliners for the two-weekend long event was singer Beyonce who returned to Coachella, or “Beychella” as some people coined it, to grace the stage ever since she postponed performing at 2017’s festival due to her pregnancy last year. She headlined Saturday April 14’s show and performed again the 21 while R&B singer The Weeknd commenced Friday the 13 and lead on the 20 along with rapper Eminem who will was the main act on Sunday the 15 and closed on the 22 respectively.

Erin Maynard, 12, who is a fan and supporter of Beyonce, anticipated that the singer would have some tricks up her sleeve and definitely a few surprises considering she was a headliner, but did not expect her performance to be at the level it was.

“There was a rumor going around that she was going to reunite with former members of Destiny’s Child, but I honestly didn’t believe it,” Maynard said. “I also wasn’t aware that her performance would be so over the top considering it’s just Coachella, but when does Beyoncé ever do the norm?”

“I really liked the Weeknd’s performance of “Call Out My Name”. It was so raw and emotional,” Amy Morcada,12, a fan of the singer, said. “It looked like he was going to break out crying when he was singing and it honestly almost made me sad too.”

Within weeks general admission tickets and VIP passes sold out meaning those wanting to attend Coachella would have to wait until next year, but fortunately still had the opportunity to witness the event through live streaming provided by Youtube. For those lucky enough to snag a few tickets for next year, it is highly suggested to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, as well as keeping a phone charged at all times, but more importantly to socialize with others and get a chance to discover new music.