BINI & a Marionette Moment
Press‑Enterprise reported that BINI’s set filled the Mojave tent on Day 1, and the Bob Baker Marionette troupe performed a quirky cover of Ben Platt’s “Diet Pepsi” during festival programming. Those local recaps blended stage performance with on‑site art and side events. (pressenterprise.com)
Coachella’s first Friday turned a midafternoon Mojave slot into a crowd test for BINI and a Gobi tent puppet show into one of the day’s stranger draws. (dailynews.com) The festival’s 2026 lineup listed both BINI and the Bob Baker Marionettes on Day 1, with BINI booked in Mojave and the marionette troupe part of the same Friday bill in Indio, California. (coachella.com) Weekend 1 opened April 10 and runs April 10 to 12 at the Empire Polo Club, with a second weekend scheduled for April 17 to 19. A published set-times roundup placed Bob Baker Marionettes in Gobi from 2:55 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. and BINI in Mojave from 4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. (coachella.com; festivaldust.com) The local Day 1 recap said BINI “filled the Mojave tent,” a notable turnout for a first Coachella appearance in a midafternoon slot rather than a late-night showcase. Another Day 1 report said the group turned that set into “the day’s first can’t-miss moment.” (dailynews.com; hitsdailydouble.com) BINI’s booking carried extra weight because multiple outlets identified the eight-member act as the first all-Filipino group to perform at Coachella. Their Friday set in Mojave ran about 45 minutes and drew visible Philippine flags in the crowd. (forbes.com; hitsdailydouble.com; abs-cbn.com) Setlist reports from April 10 show BINI opening with “Shagidi” and closing with “Pantropiko,” with “Blush” and “Bikini” marked as live debuts during the Mojave performance. Forbes’ recap also listed “Pantropiko,” “Blink Twice” and “Salamin, Salamin” among the songs performed. (setlist.fm; forbes.com) The Bob Baker Marionettes supplied a different kind of festival set. The Day 1 recap said attendees in Gobi watched the Los Angeles puppet troupe perform several songs, including a cover of Ben Platt’s “Diet Pepsi,” and Hits Daily Double called the booking a “left-field” fit for Coachella. (dailynews.com; hitsdailydouble.com) That appearance was also a first for the marionette company at the festival. Before the weekend, USA Today reported that the Bob Baker Marionette Theater was preparing for its Coachella debut with “surprises” for festivalgoers. (usatoday.com) Taken together, the Friday reports showed how Coachella’s early hours were split between a rising pop act drawing a packed tent and a legacy puppet theater turning a cover song into a festival stop people talked about after the gates opened. Both return for Weekend 2 on April 17. (dailynews.com; coachella.com)
