Coachella’s 25th weekend
Coachella’s 25th‑anniversary weekend is underway at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, running April 10–12 and April 17–19, and coverage shows the festival leaning heavily on pop spectacle this year. (The Los Angeles Times noted David Byrne ran through Talking Heads classics like “This Must Be the Place” and “Houses in Motion,” while the main field was packed for Justin Bieber.) (latimes.com) (glamour.com)
Coachella opened its 25th edition this weekend in Indio with a lineup led by Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G. (coachella.com) (usatoday.com) The festival is running April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19 at the Empire Polo Club, and Coachella’s official site is also carrying a seven-stage YouTube livestream on both weekends. (coachella.com 1) (coachella.com 2) This year’s top billing marks a clear pop turn: USA Today reported first-time Coachella headliners Carpenter, Bieber and Karol G at the top of the poster, while festival merchandise and artist tents on site are built around those names. (usatoday.com) (coachella.com) That shift is showing up in the crowd scenes and coverage. The Los Angeles Times’ Coachella package highlighted a packed field for Bieber and separate coverage of Day 1 centered on Carpenter’s opening-night takeover. (latimes.com 1) (latimes.com 2) The 25-year framing matters because Coachella is selling this edition as an anniversary event while still leaning on the formula that now defines the festival: big headliners, livestream scale and brand-heavy on-site activations. Coachella’s website is promoting resale passes, official merch, food programming and American Express shopping perks alongside the music. (coachella.com 1) (coachella.com 2) At the same time, the anniversary programming is not only pop. The Los Angeles Times reported that David Byrne ran through Talking Heads songs including “This Must Be the Place” and “Houses in Motion,” tying the current festival back to the art-rock history that helped build Coachella’s reputation. (latimes.com) The weekend has also been shaped by weather. The Los Angeles Times reported on April 11 that high winds in the Coachella Valley canceled Anyma’s Friday-night set and disrupted campgrounds, with more gusts expected. (latimes.com) Coachella still has one more day in Weekend 1 on Sunday, April 12, before the festival repeats on April 17 to 19. For a festival marking 25 years in the desert, the opening read so far is straightforward: the biggest stages are being driven by pop scale, even as legacy acts keep surfacing around the edges. (coachella.com) (coachella.com)
