Coachella is a yearly event that was created in November 1993 to protest a dispute with Ticketmaster‘s service fees. Pearl Jam performed at the Empire Polo Club (where Coachella is currently held) as they refused to perform at a Ticketmaster controlled venue. Originally, Coachella was actually a typo — it was supposed to be “Conchilla” — when a printing mistake caused the name to stick. Coachella’s first festival was a major profit loss for Goldenvoice with a loss of $850,000. This year, they made over 200 million ticket sales. Many people complain about the expensive price tag of the event, but they may not know how to do it for a cheaper price.

Music festivals had earned a bad reputation that year due to Woodstock 99’s, injuries, looting and arson. Coachella was advertised to be the opposite of Woodstock and was proposed as a comforting music experience. After 1999, they skipped 2000 and resumed the festival in 2001. They have been constant since the cancellation of 2020 and 2021 from the Covid-19 pandemic. Coachella features different artists and genres that people love to see. Whether you’re into rock, pop, or country, there will be someone from your playlist in that yearly lineup.

Coachella has been notoriously known for being overpriced. The average person spends upwards of $2000-3000+. Tickets have gone on sale to the public as of May 1 at a starting price of $599 for weekend one and $549 for weekend two, but even this is before the lineup of artists comes out. Tier two of general admission is after the line-up comes out in January, however, the price increases by $50. If you’re going with four people, you can also purchase the GA 4-pack which gives each ticket a discount of $10. If you are unable to pay the hundreds of dollars upfront, you can start a payment plan with no added interest. However, missing payments could lead to your order being cancelled. These ticket prices only include general access to the festival regarding place of stay or any additional perks like camping or VIP access. Camping starts at $40 a night for a total of $160 for the weekend. The vehicle must fit in a 30 feet by 10 feet spot. This offers a budget friendly option due to the fact that you wouldn’t have to pay for how many people will be staying in the spot — it’s a flat rate of $40 a day. This leaves us with a total of $2316 for general admission for four people — but flights (if you’re not local), camping supplies and rental cars still need to be included in the grand total.

Flights usually fluctuate in price throughout the year, but the best recommended time to buy flights is one to three months before the trip. An average round trip is about $350 per person, depending on what airline you prefer or what part of the U.S. you are flying from. When you get there, you’ll need a rental car which ranges from $40-$70+ a day (total of $120-$200+ for the week). You’ll also need camping supplies like tents, air conditioners, bedding and other commodities. A canopy is most common with a price of $100. Portable beds such as air mattresses cost about $70 a person.  Other furniture like chairs, decorations, and rugs can lead up to $200. 

Price breakdown for four people:

• GA tickets: $2156
• Car camping: $160
• Flights: $350 x 4
• Rental car: $120-$280
• Canopy tent: $100
• Air mattresses: $70 x 4
• Other furniture: $200
• Total: $4416 

This leaves each person with an estimated total price of $1104. Although the price per person is still expensive, Coachella usually has about 160 artists on their line up with a result of $6.90 per artists.

Coachella is worth the price, especially with popular artists like Justin Bieber, Sabina Carpenter, Karol G and artists currently not releasing music like Frank Ocean — and as concert tickets continue to increase with an average price of $135, Coachella is truly a cheaper experience to watch multiple of your favorite artist perform in one event rather than seeing them individually.

This article was edited by Ethan Chatelain, Emily Logan, and Amelia Hamilton.