Name: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Where: Empire Polo Club, Indio, California

When: Apr 15 – Apr 24, 2016

Headliners: LCD Soundsystem, Guns N’ Roses, Calvin Harris

Also Featuring: Ellie Goulding, Sufjan Stevens, M83, Foals, Disclosure, Halsey, James Bay, CHVRCHES, Sia, The 1975, Ice Cube, A$AP Rocky, Beach House, Cold War Kids, Purity Ring, The Last Shadow Puppets, Bat for Lashes, Courtney Barnett, Of Monsters and Men, and many, many more.

Brief History: The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, or simply Coachella to you and me, was established in 1999, and takes place over two consecutive weekends every year in Inland’s Empire’s Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. Covering multiple genres of music, the first ever festival kicked off with a bang with Beck and Rage Against the Machine as headliners, and has since carried on it’s fantastic run cementing some of the world’s most influential artists on the main stage. There’s also a huge selection of art installations around the site, showcasing up and coming artists in the area. Think of it as the sunnier, warmer Glasto!

Giglutz Top Tip: You’re in the desert, it’s baking hot. Drink bucketloads of water and dress sensibly, and make sure to check out what all the stages have to offer! Also, skip camping (due to the crazy temperatures) and splash out on an Airbnb with air con instead.

Memorable Moments: A holographic Tupac joining the stage to trade rhymes with Dr Dre, Pixies’ big Coachella reunion, Kanye arriving to the stage on a 30 foot crane, the list is endless…

Did You Know? You can only drink alcohol in designated areas on the festival site, meaning that you won’t get pint after pint of lukewarm beer tipped over your head during your favourite set. Whether that’s a pro or a con is for you to decide.

How To Get Tickets: Tickets for 2016 are sold out, but check back to www.coachella.com for next year!

The Playlist:  

Angharad Bishop
@annielbishop