Spending the entire day at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival can be a hell of a challenge. All the walking, the dust, and the scorching heat can take its toll to the point where you can’t even enjoy the headliners by the end of the night. But, the grounds of the Empire Polo Club can be amazing to check out while it’s still light out and the less people out there mean shorter lines for stuff and better chances to get some cool pics. So, here’s a way to do it.
Step 1: Get a Shuttle Pass
The Coachella shuttles are great. They pick you up and drop you off all over the Greater Palm Springs area. They also save you the hassle of driving yourself to the fest and, if you check out Craigslist or StubHub a couple weeks out from the Coachella, you can find them for as little as $20 a piece (normally $75) which sure beats getting stuck in an Uber that’s at 10x surge pricing at the end of the night.
Step 2: Take the Shuttle Out to Coachella at 11 am
The shuttles start at 11 am everyday – a time when many festies are nursing a terrible hangover or enjoying some pool time. You can do this later. Traffic is light at this time and your shuttle bus will have you into the festival pretty quickly.
Once you are inside, you will find the place practically empty until about 3 pm. This gives you a chance to check out the art installations, take some pics, and grab some food without the lines.
Seriously though, look at how much room there is…everywhere…
One night here, you will be out there when it is freakin’ hot. So hydrate and then hydrate again.
Step 3: Leave Coachella after a few hours
Don’t worry. Your day is not done. After you have got in all of your pics, grabbed some food, done some exploring, and taken in a few lesser known acts. Take the shuttle back home, your hotel, or the couch you are crashing on. It will seem weird to leave the festival while everyone else is walking in. Some of them might even mock you. But they are dumb and you are smart because you are going to chill out in the pool for a while, take a nap, and recharge for the main headliners that you will get to enjoy while everyone else is haggard af from being at the festival for 10 straight hours.
Step 4: Take the Shuttle Back
The shuttles will take you to the festival up until 8 pm. Check out the lineup, make sure you leave enough time to get there for who you want to see, then head on back recharged for round two. Hell, the shuttles usually allow you to bring on some cans of beer, so it’s like a moving bar to take you back to Coachella.
Then just take the shuttle back when your ready to go for the night. Not a bad day at all.
So there you have it. Maybe this works for you, maybe it doesn’t. I know it’s not for everyone, but it has made the festival way more enjoyable for me the last few years and being there when it is less crowded has allowed me to find and explore some cool things I would’ve never found later in the day.
