Karol G makes history

Karol G closed Coachella’s first weekend on Sunday, April 12, becoming the first Latina artist to headline the festival. (latimes.com) She headlined the main Coachella Stage in Indio, California, on the last night of Weekend 1, with her set scheduled for 9:55 p.m. local time. Coachella’s 2026 festival is running across April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19. (timeout.com, coachella.com) The 2026 headliner slate put Karol G alongside Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Anyma, a top line that Coachella announced before this year’s festival. USA Today’s festival coverage listed the same four names as the headliners across the two April weekends. (coachellavalley.com, usatoday.com) Karol G’s booking landed after years of Latin music moving from Coachella side stages to some of the festival’s biggest slots. Time Out’s preview called her the festival’s first Latina headliner before she took the stage, and the Los Angeles Times repeated that milestone during its live Day 3 coverage. (timeout.com, latimes.com) Karol G, born Carolina Giraldo Navarro in Medellín, Colombia, has spent the past several years moving from reggaeton radio hits to stadium-level touring. Her Coachella top billing put a Spanish-language star in the same closing slot that the festival has historically reserved for its biggest crossover acts. (britannica.com, hollywoodreporter.com) Coverage of the set described a guest-heavy show with Becky G, Mariah Angeliq, Wisin and Cigarettes After Sex singer Greg Gonzalez joining her onstage. Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter both framed the performance as a Latin-pop showcase at the festival’s main closing hour. (billboard.com, hollywoodreporter.com) Weekend 2 now runs April 17 to 19, when Karol G is scheduled to return to the same festival bill for Coachella’s second pass through the desert. Her first-weekend set already locked in the history line that surrounded Sunday night in Indio. (coachella.com, coachellavalley.com)