I grew up in Coachella Valley. Here are 10 mistakes I see tourists make when they visit for the music festival.

12.04.2024 - 15:27 / insider.com / Art

I was raised in the Coachella Valley, a destination known for its excessive heat, older demographics, and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

I've been attending the festival since I was 15 years old — I've hung out with my parents there, partied both weekends, and even sat front row. Luckily, I've been able to avoid some common missteps using my local knowledge and experience going to the festival. 

Here are 10 mistakes I always see festivalgoers make at Coachella — try to avoid them if you want to have a great time. 

When you're in the Coachella Valley for festival weekends, avoid taking a rideshare at all costs. 

The festival has multiple entry points, including a parking lot, shuttle hub, camping spaces, and rideshare entrance. In my experience, the rideshare entrance is typically the most hectic, with more lines of traffic than any other entry point. 

Getting home with a rideshare is also challenging since the cell service on the festival grounds isn't always great. Plus, it gets expensive because of rideshares' surge pricing. 

Ideally, you may be able to avoid all of this by purchasing a shuttle pass. There are multiple shuttle hubs throughout the desert, and they tend to be much more efficient at getting you to and from your desired locations.

As I said above, the cell service is not always the best on festival grounds, so keep that in mind if you're going in a group and plan to split up.

Pick a landmark as a safe spot to meet if anything goes awry. I suggest the gigantic, easy-to-find art area or the Ferris wheel.

I also suggest each person in your group bring a charging cord or a portable charger because it's almost a guarantee that any phone battery will die at least once during the long weekend.

Contrary to popular belief, the desert does get cool. After the sun goes behind the mountains, the Santa Ana winds pick up, which can make for a crisp evening. 

If you can, rent a locker on the festival grounds and store a jacket for later. The lockers have a secure code and are easily accessible throughout the day.

Storing a hoodie in your bag is also ideal or, although you might be hotter during the day, wearing pants or a long-sleeve top can be a lifesaver at night. 

I've heard tons of horror stories about people losing expensive accessories or having their phones stolen at Coachella.

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Make sure you have a secure place to hold your belongings (like a fanny pack), and consider keeping recognizably expensive designer accessories at home. Try to keep your phone in your front pocket or an area where someone else can't get to it without you noticing. 

The need for a cohesive outfit should never override functionality, especially at a music festival.

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