Courtesy of BFA
- The Coachella Music & Arts Festival takes place over two weekends in April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
- While Coachella is a music festival, it has long been just as famous for the exclusive parties surrounding the event, and the social media influencers, models, and celebrities who flock to them.
- When I decided to go to Coachella for the first time this year, I was determined to get into an exclusive after-party. The first party I got into was an overcrowded dud — but the second was the real deal.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories and check out more of our coverage of this year’s edition of Coachella.
I never really thought I’d go to Coachella, as I always saw it as more about the scene — the parties, the Instagrammable art, the wild outfits — than the music. But when Business Insider asked me to cover the festival, I was figured I might as well go all-in.
That meant getting into one of the exclusive parties outside of the event. You know, the kind where you’re more likely to run into a B-List (or C-List) movie star or musician than a drunk teenager.
I’m happy to say that, by the end of the weekend and a bit of finagling, I was successful. Here’s what it was like.
The Coachella Music & Arts Festival has become famous as a showcase for the music industry’s hottest stars. When I attended, Childish Gambino put on a show that he described as "going to church."
Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
While the performances were predictably awesome, I was just as interested in getting into one of the events that happens outside the festival. On Saturday, after having my mind melted by Tame Impala, I decided to check out a party called "Art of the Wild" held two miles away from the festival grounds. As a journalist, I got invited to tons of events.
Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
One thing no one tells you about Coachella after-parties: The line to get an Uber, Lyft, or a taxi when the festival ends is 90 minutes or longer. Because I’m a New Yorker (and very extra), I decided to walk the two miles along sandy desert roads. By the time I got there, it was around 2 a.m.
Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- A $2,000 bridal get-up, $100 of body glitter, and $30 thrift store discoveries: We asked 11 people how much their Coachella outfits cost, and here’s what they told us
- I got a last-minute ticket to Coachella, the festival as famous for its flashy outfits and Instagram-heavy attractions as its music. Here’s what it’s really like to attend.
- Inside the Neon Carnival, Coachella’s exclusive, star-studded after-party where money doesn’t score an invite
Source: Business Insider – hjacobs@businessinsider.com (Harrison Jacobs)