• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

Arts & EntertainmentCoachella

Here’s How Much It Will Really Cost You to Go to Coachella

Megan Leonhardt
By
Megan Leonhardt
Megan Leonhardt
Down Arrow Button Icon
Megan Leonhardt
By
Megan Leonhardt
Megan Leonhardt
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 18, 2016, 11:19 AM ET
perform onstage during day 3 of the 2016 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Club on April 17, 2016 in Indio, California.
Photograph by Frazer Harrison — Getty Images

This story originally appeared on money.com.

The unofficial kickoff of the 2016 summer concert season starts this weekend with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which takes place in the Colorado Dessert east of Los Angeles, near Joshua Tree National Park. Attendees this year should be prepared to spend hundreds, if not thousands, to attend the much-loved music event.

According to Nielsen Music, live music events are more popular than ever. In fact, more than half of all consumer spending on music last year involved some type of live event, with music festivals taking 10% of the overall spending. Over 32 million Americans attended at least one U.S.-based music festival last year. Almost half of those attendees, 14.7 million, were Millennials. Last year, 198,000 tickets were sold for Coachella alone.

This year, Coachella attendees will spend at least $399 for basic admissionfor each weekend of the festival. The event spans two weekends, April 15-17 and April 22-24. Tickets to the festival have steadily climbed over the 17-year history of the event. A decade ago, a two-day pass cost just $165 per person for a general admission. Keep in mind that VIP passes this year started at $899 for each weekend.

But scoring tickets to the festival is only the beginning. Essentials like travel to the festival, lodging, and dining during the weekend usually command the larger part of a festival-goer’s budget. Colin Heinrich, founder of travel blog Elsewhere Man, estimates an extremely cheap trip to Coachella can cost upwards of $593 on top of the price of any flights or train travel. A “splurge” budget could set attendees back as much as $2,595, according to Heinrich.

“By the time you get into the show, you’re broke,” says Ross Gerber, CEO of LA-based financial firm Gerber Kawasaki and a long-time festival attendee.

Travel

Once you’ve secured tickets, the next step is travel. For most attendees, this will include some combination of plane, train, bus, or car travel to the festival grounds located in Indio, Calif. On average, people travel 903 miles to get to a U.S. festival, according to Nielsen.

In the case of Coachella, the nearest major commercial airport in Palm Springs is still 45 miles from the festival. Not exactly walking distance. Those looking to use a taxi from the airport or a Palm Springs hotel are likely to pay around $85. An Uber trip from Palm Springs to Indio last year cost around $50, but the app’s surge pricing drove prices as high as $100 for the same trip during the peak hours of the 2015 event, according to the Desert Sun newspaper.

For those checking into an area hotel, you can purchase the “Any Line, Anytime Shuttle Pass” for $60 per weekend. The shuttle will pick up and drop off festival goers at almost a dozen different area stops.

 

Lodging

Camping is the most budget-friendly option, but if you haven’t already purchased passes, you may have to spend more on resale sites like Craigslist. A tent camping spot pass for the weekend sells for about $100.

If camping isn’t your style, be prepared to pay up. During the 2015 festival, hotel room rates rose 70% according to the LA Times. A room at a one-star hotel cost an average of $343 a night, and that was one of the best deals around, the paper reported. Airbnb wasn’t much better. Last-minute bookers can find single rooms in the area for $425 a night.

“The biggest cost is lodging—it costs a fortune now,” Gerber says. “Everyone is gouging every Coachella goer.”

Dining

If you’re avoiding the $225 dinner in the Coachella Rose Garden, there are plenty of other dining options in the form of three full-service pop-up restaurants available this year. Each of the restaurants are taking reservations through OpenTable; entrees range from $10 to $30.

For those looking to spend a moderate amount on food, Heinrich recommends budgeting about $80 for the weekend, as well as $80 on alcohol if you decide to partake in the beer gardens.

“Once you get into the show, what we do (and most people do) is try to smuggle in drinks and food because it saves you a lot of money,” Gerber says. “If you’re not drinking the $12 beers, you’re probably not spending that much.”

Extras

“Going to Coachella is a little bit about survival of the fittest, so a lot money is spent on survival things like food, alcohol, and clothing,” Gerber says. He recommends bringing a backpack to hold a water bottle (you can fill up at several stations throughout the festival grounds), sunscreen, and a change of clothes. It’s the desert, so it’s important to keep cool during the day and then bring a sweatshirt, sweater, or jeans for colder evening shows.

During the festival in recent years, there have been dust storms and wind storms, so merchandise sales have spiked. Those looking to avoid these last-minute costs should bring a bandana or scarf to cover your face.

“By the time you get into the show, you just run, you’re so happy. You’re thinking: I made it, I’m in—I got through the gauntlet of security, and parking and traffic,” Gerber says.

About the Author
Megan Leonhardt
By Megan Leonhardt
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

murdochs
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
By Lin CherryMay 17, 2026
18 hours ago
‘No one was coming to save me’: How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn’t fix
Successreese witherspoon
‘No one was coming to save me’: How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn’t fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
20 hours ago
tom
SuccessEntrepreneurs
Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio got a 15x return on a tech company most Americans have never heard of. He thinks his own industry is broken
By Nick LichtenbergMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The ‘Knight Rider’ replica car got a $50 speeding ticket in New York despite never leaving Chicago museum
Lawcar
The ‘Knight Rider’ replica car got a $50 speeding ticket in New York despite never leaving Chicago museum
By The Associated Press and Dave CollinsMay 14, 2026
4 days ago
diamond
LawJewelry
‘Ocean Dream’ diamond, largest blue-green stone of its kind in the world, sells for $17.3 million
By The Associated PressMay 14, 2026
4 days ago
geezer
North AmericaAnimals
Debbie Gibson, Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath want you to adopt a beagle rescued from an experimental lab in Wisconsin
By Scott Bauer and The Associated PressMay 13, 2026
5 days ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
20 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.