Coachella Tips & Advice

Looks like everyone is headed to Coachella! I've been so busy with travels and work I didn't even realize it was that time of year again! 

Here's what I learned during my 3 day Coachella trip last year. 

There's a huge variety of music, so definitely check out the schedule ahead of time and figure out which shows are a must for you because a lot of the performances overlap. Also, get a good idea of which stage the shows are at. We made the mistake of planning a few shows back to back with stages miles apart! If you've never been to Coachella this might be hard to imagine but all stages are live simultaneously. This means they have to be far enough that the music doesn't leak from one stage to the other. So you'll be walking A LOT! I believe one of the days we calculated walking over 12 miles! 

Going with a big group is great but keep in mind it's almost impossible to stay together. So if you don't plan on wandering off alone, make sure at least one friend in your group has the same taste of music. Kat and I had a lot of friends at Coachella but we got split up and couldn't reconnect because there was little to no reception.

I've heard of groups taking walkie talkies - not a bad idea!  

Stay hydrated, wear comfortable shoes and sunblock, lots of sunblocks! But make sure it's non-aerosol sunblock as aerosol products and cans are not allowed inside the venue. It's also very dusty so eye drops is great to have along with sunnies to protect your eyes. If you have long hair, I definitely recommend wearing it up or in braids. The one day I had my hair down was a disaster! I had so much wind, dirt and sunblock in it that I could barely brush through it by the end of the night. 

I'd also recommend carrying a small - medium sized backpack, large ones aren't allowed. If you bring a bottle of water make sure it's an empty bottle, or you can purchase one inside. I'd also recommend carrying chapstick, sunblock, wipes, bandaids (for blisters because you'll probably have a few), and a small blanket or coverup as it can get a little chilly at night. 

A portable phone charger is also great to have because your phone will drain really fast from the lack of reception and all the videos/photos you'll be taking! A dead phone will be a really big headache at the end of the night if you plan on calling an uber/lyft to get back to your hotel! This happened to a few of my friends. If you don't have a portable charger keep your phone on airplane mode to save battery life! 

Remember they don't allow professional cameras so if you want, bring something small like a digital camera or a GoPro.  

Last tip, bring a hat and don't wear too much make up, honestly you'll just sweat it all off the first hour and it'll clog up all your pores. I definitely had eye make up on but had much less on my skin and face. An oil free tinted spf moisturizer instead of foundation isn't a bad idea also.

I know Coachella is a huge fashion scene but I feel like that's mainly on social media. When we were there, everyone was doing their own thing and enjoying the music. So don't stress out too much about what you're going to wear and go have fun!