If the Euphoria carnival was an influencer event: my experience of Coachella 2025
This time last year, Chappell Roan performed at Coachella as a sparkly pink butterfly, and I wished so much I could have been there. I’m not usually one for FOMO because I love being at home with my cats, but I was bursting to go to the desert and booked a 2025 trip to Palm Springs.
My knowledge of Coachella was limited. I absolutely love music and concerts, but I haven’t been to a huge amount of festivals (yet). The only thing I really knew was that every year people took a nice photo in front of the ferris wheel, it seemed to be set in paradise with pink skies and palm trees, and it couldn’t be all that different to any other festival.
Apparently it could!
Booking and planning
The tickets were expensive. Coachella offer packages that allow you to say in a hotel and be collected to and from the festival in a shuttle bus every day. Yes, it was an investment, but for a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this, I was glad we did it that way. It made everything easy and seamless, and eliminated the need to plan for camping.
In the build-up to going, I spoke to a few friends that had been. They all loved it, told me it was a bit more relaxed in nature than a UK festival, and generally assured me I’d have a great time. I also scoured Reddit and TikTok for guides and tips, and the findings made me quite nervous in all honesty. Crazy winds, being blinded by dust, extreme dehydration and walks for miles were all cited as very plausible outcomes.
Ready for what felt like a Bear Grylls excursion, I went to America packed with remedies for all sorts of crises. I spent the following three days wondering when the crisis was going to hit, stared at by an unopened pack of Compeed blister plasters.
Instagram vs reality
Day one of Coachella was really and truly a culture shock. 80/90% of people seemed to be influencers, or look like them. Everywhere you turned people were taking photos or making content, and I have never known grooming like it.
I completely get it – in a beautiful environment like this, of course you’re going to get excited about your outfits and dress up, and so you should! I loved sourcing cute little things on Vinted in the weeks ahead of the trip, and finding an outfit was a huge part of the fun of the Eras Tour last summer. But this was styling to a different level, and the need to look great had a definite impact on the atmosphere.
It felt to me that people weren’t talking and generally having fun as much as they were taking photos of one another. Lots weren’t particularly dancing during sets (or even singing that loudly), but a sea of iPhones captured the stage. I know that’s just what happens now, and that we all do it. But there’s a difference between wanting a handful of fab photos and clips to treasure a special night forever, and quite literally spending the day behind the lens.
The irony of this hot take is that before I went, I myself made a content plan. (Pot, kettle, black?! Stay with me.) You know how I love my mini-mics, and going out to interview people? I thought it would be lovely to explore something outside of my usual beauty remit and talk to attendees about their favourite music. I told my mom how special it would be, capturing people’s favourite music memories to a backdrop of amber skies and twinkly lights. Aside from a group of Aussies who we loved (and for whom my mic glitched – go figure) no one really had any musical things to say because they hadn’t come for that. I realised quite quickly that lots of people were just here for the Instagram posts they’d get, so left the mini-mics safely at home with my snake bite kit. (OK I didn’t pack one of those, but if they’d had it at Boots I bloody would have after looking at that sensationalised Reddit forum.)
I hope I don’t sound massively judgemental. If it makes you happy and you’re enjoying yourself, go to Coachella and get your gorgeous photos. The point I’m hoping to land is that I expected it to feel more like a music festival – making friends and having chats along the way.
On night one, it was so cold that I saw multiple people wrapped in those tin foil blankets you get after running a marathon. Where is this intel in the Instagram carousel we get hit with every April? Genuinely, what episode of Black Mirror are we living in if you are willing to risk hypothermia to get a nice photo in your crop top? Pack a hoodie for the love of God!
Highlights from the festival
For the main event, I saw some really special acts that I loved. Here were a few of my favourites…
Missy Elliot was the person I had been most excited to see. She doesn’t tour all that much and I listen to her all the time, so I was beside myself to see her name on the line-up. She was every bit as magical as I hoped she’d be, but one thing I did find is that her set was more like a shortened medley of her classics. It meant that I got to hear everything I loved, but I also wished it could have been longer.
I realised how much I’d missed Lady Gaga when she took the stage. She is a true showgirl and puts on a show like no other. I’ve seen her 3 or 4 times before and I am always blown away by how incredible her voice is. Being able to sing along with her was very special to me and she did such a great mix of old and new, but being stood in the desert it was hard to take in quite how theatrical her set was. I’m excited to watch it again from home so I can properly appreciate it. Singing along to Scheise live was probably the highlight of the entire festival for me!
Charli XCX was my favourite set of the weekend. I missed the memo on Brat summer last year because I was knee deep in the passenger seat of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, so I’m relatively new to the Charli hype. There was a shift in the atmosphere when she took the stage, and she gave the influencer crew a bit of permission to let loose, give less of a fuck and be a bit more Charli. I also thought the end of her set was really graceful. She declared the end of Brat summer, and suggested it was time for us to make way for someone else to have their big moment this year, listing lots of alternatives such as Haim.
The Basement Jaxx were absolutely wicked! It was so lovely to spend the last night dancing along with them. Their tent felt like an intimate gig and every last one of them dressed colourfully, danced along with us and had a ball.
If you asked me who warmed up the crowd the most, it was T Pain. We were just all buzzing when he came on. Everyone was dancing along, it was peak sunshine time, and it felt like he brought the nostalgia and unlocked happy memories all round.
My friend Naaman really wanted to see Clairo who was completely new to me, and I absolutely loved her. How have I found my spiritual home in Salem and yet never come across this witchy princess?! Considering I knew none of her songs, I enjoyed every minute of her set and she made our Saturday night soft, breezy and magical.
Surprisingly, no surprises…
In previous years, surprise guests have come to be something of a Coachella staple. From Harry Styles reminiscing with Shania Twain, to Labrinth revealing Zendaya to a screaming crowd, or Lana Del Rey singing peacefully with Billie Eilish, I was sure I was getting a surprise or two. I have to admit, I was a little – for lack of a better word – surprised that there weren’t more appearances.
Of the surprises that did emerge, a heads up would have been nice. I know everyone has their own preferences, but I was amazed that the Coachella app sent us push notifications all day and yet failed to mention that 2024’s global sweetheart Cynthia Erivo had taken the stage. Surely this would have been a better use of your communication with me than reminding me every single day I can upgrade my tickets? I know that hun. You’ve told me 12 times already.
Makeup magic: the breakout star
A standout experience for me was a branded activation that felt whole heartedly personal. Misha Spice, Chappell’s creative director, had curated a styling experience with Pinterest that we visited 2 out of 3 days. You entered this beautiful space that felt like a crafting den, and queued for about 5 minutes while you explored the art on the walls. They had QR codes that took you to different Pinterest boards, and they asked you to make your own board from your favourite looks. Once you had given them a sense of your style, you could either have your makeup done or have a styling session.
Naturally opting for makeup, I got chatting to Gabrielle who was doing mine. When I found her on Instagram I saw she had worked on a whole host of celebrity clients and high end campaigns. I had been sat with makeup royalty! She covered me with gems and created graphic liner in literal minutes. It honestly made me feel so special and I couldn’t believe such an elevated experience was completely free. The next day she was full of smiles, had remembered me, and brought me straight back over to do it again! As for the styling session, there was an abundance of hair accessories, jewellery, all sorts to take away… for free! Interestingly, everyone was super respectful, and nothing felt feral. Everyone was so friendly in here. This room was exactly what I thought Coachella was going to be like, so in a way my dreams came true for visiting here.
A big change of heart. I love it here, and you might too
Strangely, on the last night, I had a pit of sadness in my stomach that we had to leave. Listen, it was a weird experience in ways. I went to Coachella expecting that kind of Gavin and Stacey style banter you have at a UK festival. Everyone having a laugh, a bit boisterous chatting to the group next to you in the queue for the coach/the loo/ a burrito. It wasn’t that, but it was total magic in it’s own way.
There are plenty of people who would love Coachella. It’s a drastically more relaxed festival experience. If large crowds make you nervous, or you feel uncomfortable with lots of drinking, you’d love it. In three full days I saw no one that seemed drunk. People enjoyed a drink or two but nothing felt lairy in any way. It was also smaller in scale than some festivals I’ve been to. The Reddit feedback about all the walking really confused me. If you’re going from the UK, I think it would require an amount of walking you’d be used to from other outdoor music environments. It felt to me like you could walk the length of the festival in around 20 minutes.
At nighttime, it was visually beautiful. It reminded me of the episode of Euphoria where they go to the carnival. From the ferris wheel spinning to luminous art installations, it was sensory overload in the best possible way. Multicoloured fairy lights poked through the trees, a string of balloons floated through the sky and changed colour each day (Brat green for Charli), it was all out of this world.
Location wise, I cannot emphasise how beautiful Palm Springs and the Palm Desert were. In my head I was thinking ‘music festival’ and completely sidelined the visiting the desert element. When I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. The airport was open air in parts, full of cacti. There were variations of flowering cactus plants everywhere, and vast sand and desert for miles with enormous mountains in the skyline. At nighttime, you saw pink, purple and orange skies, with darkened palm trees towering overhead. It was indescribably beautiful; I’ve never seen anything like that in real life before and was so happy to see this part of the world. One day when we went for lunch, we had local chips made out of a cactus! Similar texture to a potato and delicious. Who knew!
Reddit vs reality
I know I’ve massively gone on here but to be honest I wrote this for me. I don’t want to forget any memories! But to start to wrap things up, these were my Reddit vs reality findings…
Reddit: The dust is so bad that you’ll need to keep your sunglasses on all day, wear a bandana over your face all day, and pack eye drops.
Reality: Yes it’s dusty and a bit windy but it was fine. I had a light scarf in my bag and didn’t need it at all, although I did notice I had grit on my face when I went to cleanse my skin in the evening. Sunnies – fair enough, they’re helpful when it’s mildly windy so keep them on.
Reddit: The walks are incredibly long, and pack blister plasters.
Reality: Walking wise, it is a fair amount of walking, but nothing you wouldn’t do on a sunny day in the park. I say this because when I first went to Glastonbury I was quite staggered by the amount of walking, and Coachella felt drastically smaller. I wore trainers every day and got along fine.
Reddit: You’ll be dangerously dehydrated and it’s important to pack a rehydration/electrolyte solution of some sort.
Reality: The rehydration sachet suggestion was a fair one. We had one every morning and usually an additional electrolyte drink too, and it really set us up for the day. Bottled water is ice cold, available everywhere, and $2 a pop. Alcohol was expensive, you’re looking at $15 for a thimble of wine. And food wise they have loads of great options and a real mixture of cuisines.
To conclude… three hours later
There were many things I loved about Coachella, and I’d definitely go again, but the general vibe was super reserved.
Though it may not have been the place to have banter, make friends or particularly let loose, I truly loved it for what it was: an out of this world location. It was brilliant to explore a different part of the world, take in beautiful sights, switch off to incredible artists and soak up the beauty of the desert.
If I were to go again I’d be led by the line-up. For me, this isn’t the kind of festival I’d enjoy regardless of who is playing. But seeing the acts I got to see in an environment like this was very special.
My friend Kirsty writes a lot of food reviews, and she told me that she always thinks to herself “how would I feel about this place if I had saved up all year to come here for one very special occasion?” If I look at it like this, the cost of Coachella when travelling from the UK was especially steep. Though I made the most of exploring the area, if I was to base my conclusion on the festival alone, it was not a cost I could justify again.
If Coachella is out of your budget, I truly don’t want you to believe all the hype you see online. The photos are beautiful, there’s no denying that, but you will genuinely have more of a laugh at one of our UK festivals.
In the meantime, thank you to the best possible travel partner – my friend Naaman – who was such good company all weekend, it didn’t matter one bit that everyone else was stood still, because we had a ball.
