Karol G’s Coachella First

Karol G closed Coachella’s first weekend on April 12 as the festival’s first Latina woman headliner. (pitchfork.com) She topped Sunday’s main-stage bill at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, ending Weekend 1 of Coachella’s 2026 run. The festival’s official dates are April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19. (coachella.com) Goldenvoice announced Karol G as one of Coachella 2026’s three headliners in September 2025, alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber. The promoter billed the 2026 edition as the festival’s 25th anniversary. (coachellavalley.com) The set landed as one of Weekend 1’s most noted performances in early coverage. Rolling Stone included her among the festival’s 15 best moments, citing the first-Latina-headliner milestone. (rollingstone.com) Local coverage described the show as both celebratory and personal, with Karol G using the stage to frame the night around her identity and career. The Mercury News said the performance balanced spectacle with connection. (mercurynews.com) Karol G is a Colombian singer from Medellín whose rise has tracked the global growth of reggaeton and Latin pop in United States arenas and stadiums. Rolling Stone wrote that her Mañana Será Bonito tour in 2023 and 2024 sold more than 1 million tickets across 12 countries. (rollingstone.com) Her Coachella set leaned into that scale with guest appearances from Becky G, Mariah Angeliq, Wisin and Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex, according to multiple reviews. Variety also reported an appearance by trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. (hollywoodreporter.com) (variety.com) One of the most widely shared moments came when Karol G performed with Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, an all-female mariachi group from Los Angeles. NBC Los Angeles said that segment helped keep the performance in circulation online a day later. (nbclosangeles.com) The headlining slot also extended a broader Latin presence across this year’s festival lineup, which included acts from reggaeton, Latin pop and regional Mexican music. Time Out noted before the festival that Karol G’s booking reflected Coachella’s increasingly international lineup. (timeout.com) Weekend 2 starts April 17, with Karol G scheduled to return to the same Sunday closing slot. Her first Coachella headline set is now part of the festival’s history before the second weekend even begins. (coachella.com)