Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2023: What To Know

 

INDIO, CA — As tens of thousands of concertgoers make their way to Indio's Empire Polo Club for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that begins Friday, here are some tips for those who will be part of the masses — or among those who want to avoid the throngs.

Festival Dates, Performers:

The polo club gates will open at "noonish" each day of the festival that runs April 14-16 and April 21-23. Musical performances will begin on various stages as attendees make their way onto the polo grounds at 81800 51st Avenue. Noise from the festival site could begin each Thursday due to sound checks and on-site camping guests.

Tickets to the first weekend are sold out, but an official waitlist is out there. Tickets for the second weekend are on sale on the festival website. General admission passes are priced at $549 before fees.

Bad Bunny, girl group Blackpink and R&B icon Frank Ocean are scheduled to headline the festival. Other artists include Doechii, Ethel Cain, Sudan Archives, Kali Uchis, Angèle, Metro Boomin, Breeders, Dinner Party, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington, Eric Prydz’s Holo, IDK, Paris Texas, and Jai Paul. See the full lineup below (Not attending but want to catch the performances? Catch a livestream on both weekends from wherever you are: yt.be/Coachella.):

Art:

As its name implies, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is more than just a concert. The 5,000-square-foot Coachella Art Studios provides festival-goers with an opportunity to explore their creativity. Founded in 2008 by Los Angeles-based public art program specialist Sarah Scheideman, it is now run in collaboration with Coachella Valley artist Sofía Enriquez and a team of local creatives, according to a released statement from Coachella organizers.

For the 2023 event, organizers are adding newly-commissioned, large-scale, immersive works by acclaimed local and international artists and designers, including Kumkum Fernando, Vincent Leroy, Güvenç Özel, Maggie West, Robert Bose, Do LaB, Don Kennell, and NEWSUBSTANCE.

Raices Cultura, a grassroots arts and culture nonprofit organization led by artist, educator and executive director Marnie L. Navarro, has recruited and mentored youth from the East Valley cities of Coachella, Indio, Mecca, Thermal and La Quinta to build an art installation for the festival campground based on their shared approach to theme and aesthetics.

The art will be available to experience alongside the music over both weekends.

Road Closures:

Shutdowns will be in place for public safety and to allow for setup of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as well as the Stagecoach Festival that takes place April 28-30.

Full closures will be in effect Fridays to Mondays the last three weekends of April on all of Hjorth Street and Lundberg Lane and on Madison Street from Avenue 50 to Avenue 52, according to the city of Indio. A full closure will be in effect on Avenue 50 between Monroe Street and Madison Avenue until May 8, but will extend to Jackson Street for the weekends of the festivals.

"This is the first year Avenue 50 has been closed in advance of the events to allow for pre-show setup, so we wanted to let residents and businesses know in advance about alternate routes," Indio Community Services Manager Jim Curtis said in a statement. "The road closure is necessary to protect the safety of workers, residents and commuters."

Additionally, streets surrounding the festival site and Interstate 10 are expected to see major traffic from the more than 40,000 festival attendees who will be leaving the area.

Residents are encouraged to take alternate routes through Washington Street, Jackson Street, Calhoun Street and Golf Center Parkway for north and south travel. Residents can take alternate routes through Highway 111, Dr. Carreon Boulevard, Avenue 54, Miles Avenue, and Fred Waring Drive for east and west travel.

"Approximately 40,000 guests will be shuttled into and out of the concert venue from various locations throughout the Coachella Valley to help ease traffic conditions," Indio city officials said in a statement. "Noise from the festival site could begin on each Thursday prior to the festival dates, due to sound checks and on-site camping guests."

All streets are expected to reopen to normal traffic patterns by May 8.

More Info:

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival website holds more information about the event, including shuttle service, food and drinks, activities, accommodations and more. Find those details here.