With love, Carly

Coachella. The word alone carries so much connotation. Fashion, music, craziness. Trust me, it meets all those requirements. But no amount of Instagram stalking your favorite celebs, bloggers, fashion icons, or even the artists themselves can prepare you for the reality of the event.

I loved Coachella and I will get to what makes it so great. But first a few things that I wish I had known before because it would’ve made it that much greater. 

You are going to be walking a lot. So with that in mind, pick shoes that aren’t going to make your feet hate you. That doesn’t mean they can’t be cute, just be aware that you are going to be on your feet all day, walking in and out of the venue, and from stage to stage. And at the end of the day, those super cute, studded booties aren’t going to seem so cute anymore. I mostly wore Adidas, or similar sneakers, while I was in the desert because they are cute, comfortable and went well with my outfit choices. So just be wise in your decisions.

Bring a bandana, scarf, or something you can cover your mouth with during the long, dusty walks or in the crowded tents. No matter what, you will feel like you have dust/dirt in your lungs afterwards but this should help out.

The majority of the bathrooms are porta-potties with the exception of one permanent, nicer bathroom in the middle of the venue. Just mentally prepare for that whenever you say you have to use the restroom.

There are a lot of people here and I can guarantee that you will lose the majority of your friends within the first ten minutes of walking in the venue. Try to designate at least one person you will spend most of the time with so you aren’t alone in the large, wifi-less space.

With that in mind, there is seriously the worst internet connection possible while roaming from stage to stage. Which is incredibly inconvenient for someone who is lost, trying to meet up with others, or just wants to post that reaaallllyyy cute Instagram they had to snap in front of the Ferris wheel. So its super helpful to have a meeting spot beforehand where your group can congregate after the day ends. (btw the best internet connection is in the middle of the venue where there are no stages)

Coachella is a desolate desert in terms of Wifi and internet connection and isn’t much better when you’re phone is dying and you are desperately searching for a way to charge it. There are scattered charging stations but they are far and few between so I would recommend ditching that whole idea all together and purchasing a portable mobile charger. You’ll thank me later when you don’t have to ask the random guy next to you in the mosh pit if you can borrow his mobile charger just so you can call your friends (not once, but twice this happened). So charge up before and bring your own power with you!

Now with all the cons out of the way, we can talk about how great Coachella really is. This post kinda makes me seem like I hated it but I didn’t at all. Coachella is an incredible experience that integrates music, fashion, food, and friendship. There is so much to do and so many things to see that Coachella created an app to keep track of it all. I highly recommend downloading it and favoriting all of the sets that you want to see- because you will receive a notification 15 minutes before each one starts as a little reminder to head over to their stage. Planning can get tricky when you want to see multiple artists at the same time so decide before which ones are really important to you and go with the flow for the rest.

Some of my favorite performances this year were Dillon Francis, Lady Gaga, Two Door Cinema Club, Future (still bitter I left before Drake but at least I could hear him from the bathrooms), Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, and Martin Garrix. I could go on about these artists and all the others I saw but that would require its own post.

Coachella has also built a name for itself in the fashion world. The street style you see here is always interesting. I loved walking around and looking at all the outfits that people were wearing and getting inspiration on what to do and what not to do. People go so full out for this festival and it was really fun to see so much creativity.

Three days full of dressing up to watch some of the greatest performers in the world? Count me in every year.

With love,

Carly