Coachella is not at Coachella anymore

Once upon a time, for younger Millennials and the older slice of Gen Z, the second weekend of April meant only one thing: Coachella. The Indio Music and Arts Festival was for years a cultural phenomenon that transcended geographic location and music; it was pure mania. With its set design, fashion, and guest list, Coachella had created a foolproof formula that seemed to perfectly capture the needs of both those who dedicated three days of their lives to living in the Palm Springs desert and those who, from home, fueled a dream through the Californian aesthetic that was all the rage on Tumblr at the time. Today, however, Coachella no longer holds the same appeal. It’s hard to explain why: perhaps the hype has faded, or simply, music events have become decentralized. Just think about the latest tours of major stars, from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, all the way to Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s joint tour – the SWEAT Tour – not to mention the growing democratization of music festivals. Never before have there been so many events in Europe featuring line-ups of the same caliber as Coachella: Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Porto, Sziget in Budapest, Lollapalooza in Berlin and Paris, not to mention electronic music festivals like C2C in Turin (which has now even landed in New York) and Polifonic in Puglia. Added to this is a surprising fact for Italy, which for years was forgotten by most major international artists: it has now become a staple stop on many tours. From the return of Tyler, The Creator to Milan after 11 years to the new wave of Korean artists selling out immediately—just think of the Blackpink, who have included Italy in their upcoming tour. Perhaps the waning interest in Coachella is not solely due to the swarm of influencers dominating the event, but rather to the fact that it is no longer such a unique event.

One of Coachella’s main problems lies in the massive expenses that attendees must bear for a single weekend. The general admission pass for 2024 started at $499, while the VIP ticket exceeded a thousand. Adding up flights, accommodation, food, and drinks, the total cost for a three-day festival can reach several thousand dollars (and for those traveling from overseas, the costs nearly double). This is precisely why the festival is no longer selling as it once did: tickets still sell out, but demand for 2024 has dropped by 26% compared to 2023, with the event taking over six hours to sell out instead of the 40 minutes recorded in 2015. However, as noted by Skyscanner, music tourism is one of the most relevant travel trends in recent years, drawing millions of fans around the world. We saw it this summer with Taylor Swift’s tour, which in the U.S. contributed to boosting the national GDP by $4.3 billion, according to Bloomberg Business. In Europe, however, music tourism tends to be much more regional than international, especially considering that the VIP package for Barcelona’s Primavera Sound still costs less than Coachella’s general admission pass.

It’s not just European competition that’s "threatening" Coachella’s throne, but also the multiplication of major events in the United States. If once the California desert was the ultimate destination for music lovers and the boho-chic aesthetic, today the festival scene has expanded to such an extent that there’s a festival in almost every corner of the country, each with its own distinct appeal. Consider Lollapalooza in Chicago, which has drawn over 400,000 rock, pop, and hip-hop fans for decades, or Bonnaroo in Tennessee, which hosts more than 100,000 attendees in a “hippie-friendly” atmosphere of camping and late-night jam sessions. Meanwhile, New York’s Gov Ball saw a 15% increase in attendance in 2023 compared to the previous year, establishing itself as a must-attend event for the entire East Coast—especially considering that its line-up is often similar to that of the California festival. Each event has its own audience, in a landscape that fragments the market and offers immersive experiences, often at significantly lower costs and distances than a weekend at Coachella. These are the reasons why many music fans now find it easier and more engaging to stay closer to home, choosing festivals that still offer a high-level experience comparable to the Indio Valley event—without spending astronomical sums. Who knows if Coachella will manage to regain some cultural relevance this year and make a comeback, despite a weak line-up that has already disappointed part of the festival’s regular attendees. We’ll have to wait until April to find out.