It’s Coachella season, and I’m sure your timeline is just as busy as mine with clips from headliner performers, GRWM posts from influencers, and the overall buzz that usually comes from this infamous festival. What’s interesting, and maybe not so surprising, is the discussion around Coachella no longer being what it once was. That is, an act of rebellion against corporate and other rich folks, and a desire to have a festival that focuses on entertaining the working class.
Coachella Origins
Before becoming the event site of the world’s biggest festivals, Coachella Valley (located in Indio, California) was a dusty desert that attracted the wealthy and retirees (who were most likely wealthy themselves). In 1993, things changed. The legendary grunge rock band Pearl Jam initiated a boycott of Ticketmaster due to its high service fees.
Using music to fight against the man is simply what you do when you’re a rock star, and Pearl Jam refused to perform at any venue that used Ticketmaster. It wasn’t an easy feat since Ticketmaster had a contract with just about every major venue in the country. Except for one particular place: a polo field in the middle of the desert.
That same year, Pearl Jam performed at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, to a packed crowd of around 25,000 fans. Because of its success, the show’s promoter, Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen of Goldenvoice, began brainstorming what we know as Coachella today.
Then Vs. Now
In 1993, to see a group who is now inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and is considered the most popular rock and roll band of the 90s, fans paid $50. Water and parking were free, and since we didn’t have technology at our fingertips in the 90s, you can tell from the clip above that fans were tuned into the show without a single cell phone in sight.
Today, the two weekend shows gross around $114 million a year. A “cheap ticket” starts at $649, and $1,299 buys you a VIP seat. That doesn’t include camping (parking your car to camp costs around $420), food and drinks, etc.
Coachella introduced a Buy Now, Pay Later plan in 2009. In 2025, 60% of Coachella goers used this plan to buy tickets to the festival. The catch? To use this plan, fans had to pay a $41 fee on top of their ticket price. The festival that started as a boycott against ticket fees has ignored its roots and brought them back.
An Influencer’s Playground
Coachella is the perfect backdrop for a photo op, A “day in the life” post, and an overall life content post for the influencers and celebrities of today. Even the ones that aren’t real. With the rise of AI, some of these influencers aren’t even there, but profit from content they make using the Coachella aesthetic and “posing for photos” with real celebrities.
Reality TV star Kylie Jenner has been receiving a bit of backlash this week after posting a video of the sprawling Palm Springs mansion she’s staying in for the Coachella festivities. Many watch Coachella on the free livestream offered by YouTube simply because that’s what they can afford to do. It’s daunting and almost Hunger Games-like how vastly different the wealth gap is in 2026.
While some of us can barely keep food in the fridge or have a day off, others are spending thousands on “luxury camping furniture” and $50 burritos. I believe now (or maybe next year, since the festival is currently happening) is the best time for Coachella to return to its origins of rebellion, as many people seem to be struggling simply to survive.
