Coachella is an annual Music and Arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California located in Coachella Valley. Weekend one took place from April 14-16 — and as weekend two quickly approaches, here are some helpful tips to get you through the next three days. It was my first time going, and I had an amazing time — however, I just wish I was a bit more prepared.  

1. How to stick with your friends:

Don’t lose them because it is going to be so hard to find them again. You don’t have the best cell service inside the actual event, so make sure to keep that in mind. My biggest recommendation is to have a “hand chain” — go into the tent or the stage holding hands and DO NOT LET GO. If you do lose each other, make sure to have a meeting spot. My meeting spot with my friends was near the H&M sign, which was helpful because it was right next to the Sahara tent, which was fairly central.

2. How to watch a headliner:

I must admit, as cool as Lady Gaga or Kendrick Lamar are, it is extremely hard to get close up and see them. I know some of my friends ended up extremely close to Kendrick, but I was not near him at all. My biggest tip, stay in the back and eat ice cream while jamming out to the headliner. If that doesn’t float your boat, or you aren’t the biggest fan of the headliner, go to another tent  — there will probably be fewer people, so you should have some space to move and dance.

3. How to get close to the stage:

It is so fun to get in the front and not be in the back, but be realistic. If you are going to someone that is extremely popular or really cool, make sure to get to them earlier rather than later. If you get there early, you have a better chance of getting a good spot towards the front. Also sometimes people will leave the tent partway through the performance to catch another performer, so even if you are in the back at first, you may be able to make your way to the front later in the set. Also, I recommend going into the tents through the side entrances so you are automatically closer.

4. How to (literally) survive:

We are Archer girls, and we love food. There are so many food vendors at Coachella, and they are all SO good. You really can’t go wrong with anything, but I have to admit, my absolute favorite was the lobster mac and cheese. I am really sad that I waited until the very last day to try it. If you want a good dessert, Afters is a yummy ice cream place, and there is also a churro bar. Imagine, a sundae with two churros and ice cream in it. I got salted caramel, and my friends got fruity pebbles — you cannot go wrong.

5. How to stay hydrated:

You are in a desert, and it gets very hot. Make sure to drink enough water. You can even bring your own water bottle as long as it’s empty and you refill it there. If not, it costs around $2 per water bottle. I personally paid for my water bottles because I was unaware that I could bring them, so I would recommend bringing a bottle. A friend of mine ended up taking her water bottle and squished it together so it was really small and would fit in her pocket. That was another good idea.

6. How to have a good time:

Yes, ambition is good. Yes, we are “ambitious” Archer girls. And, yes, there are really cool people performing and everyone is really cool — but don’t try to go to everything. I was always trying to go from one place to another, and it was unrealistic. Go to the people you care most about, and get videos from friends or hear stories from them about the others you wanted to see. For example, I went to Kiiara and from there I was going to run to go see DJ Khaled and run back to see Tove Lov. Instead, I missed out on DJ Khaled but was extremely close to Tove Lov (who was amazing).