Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 10th-12th & April 17th-19th, 2026 //
Those of us in Southern California and beyond who follow live music know that the start of April means Coachella is right around the corner, and this year’s edition is certainly a big one.
Goldenvoice’s signature event, after all, will be celebrating 25 years in just a few more days, but unlike last year when set times for both weekends were revealed simultaneously, it has gone back to sharing the schedule for Weekend 1 separately before Weekend 2.
What hasn’t and seemingly won’t change is the festival’s tradition of including surprise guests in its set times that started back in 2022 with Arcade Fire (Weekend 1) signing on to help end a two-year layoff in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has continued each year with blink-182 (Weekend 1 and 2) and Four Tet x Fred again.. x Skrillex (Weekend 2) in 2023, Vampire Weekend (Weekend 1) and Kid Cudi (Weekend 2) in 2024, and Weezer (Weekend 1) and Ed Sheeran (Weekend 2) in 2025.
It’s no secret that Coachella has always been an incubator for special guest appearances whether they are listed on the set times or not. Justin Bieber, for one, will be a scheduled performer for the first time as Day 2’s headlining act, but the pop star has previously made several cameos onstage in the desert for other artists.
Kicking things off much earlier on Saturday, nevertheless, will be newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Jack White. The 12-time Grammy winner is heading out to Indio fresh off his recent SNL performance last week when he unexpectedly uncorked a double-sided single consisting of “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs” as well as “Derecho Demonico”, the latter of which we recall hearing at the Hollywood Palladium during his “No Name Tour” last spring (read our review of the shows here). White headlined in 2015 at the Empire Polo Club — a performance we actually witnessed in person that remains one of our favorites at Coachella — so make sure you don’t miss the Detroit native inside the Mojave Tent at 3 p.m. if you happen to be going Weekend 1.
We also know now which day electronic musician Anyma will perform on the main stage. After playing the Sahara Tent in 2024 and showcasing “The End of Genesys” residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas more than a year ago, the Italian DJ will follow Friday headliner Sabrina Carpenter with what looks like will be an hour-long dance party beginning at midnight and the visuals alone will be mesmerizing if they are anything like this. Sunday’s main attraction, meanwhile, appears to have the longest set with Karol G slated to begin more than two hours before curfew (assuming the Colombian singer-songwriter is on time, of course).
Speaking of scheduling, we should mention that Nine Inch Noize have been moved to Saturday in the Sahara Tent after originally being included on Friday’s roster when the lineup was first issued and the new collaborative project between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize will be dropping its self-titled debut release ahead of the fest’s second weekend. Boys Noize, in particular, might have the busiest day of anyone on the bill considering that the German electronic producer has his own set in the Yuma Tent only an hour later.
Are you paying a visit to the polo fields this month? For those who are, we would love to know: what’s your biggest conflict and which act are you most excited to see? Don’t forget to drink lots of water and apply plenty of sunscreen, too!
WEEKEND 1 SET TIMES
UPDATE (April 11th): More than 15 minutes after Anyma’s closing set on the main stage was supposed to start at midnight, Coachella has announced that he is unable to perform due to strong wind conditions affecting his stage build. It’s a disappointing way to end Day 1 for Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett and his team despite a myriad of highlights on Friday from The xx and Moby to Disclosure and Blood Orange (in the round). Hopefully those who are going Weekend 2 will have better luck catching ÆDEN.
MAP
Now that you have had less than 48 hours to map out your schedule for the weekend, Coachella has unloaded the actual map for 2026 and this is the first time we can remember when there weren’t any major modifications from the year prior.
Worth noting here, though, is the premiere of The Bunker — a 17,000-square-foot, air-conditioned and subterranean art installation featuring Radiohead’s “KID A MNESIA: Motion Picture House” to mark the legendary UK band’s multi-format reissue of its twin albums Kid A and Amnesiac — that will be located near the Sahara Tent and offer a unique experience for any fan of the Thom Yorke-led group.
The waitlist for Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 tickets has closed at this point, but for those who can no longer make it, you can list your passes for resale here. And if you are more of a “Couchella” person, don’t forget to check out the YouTube livestream when the festivities commence this Friday.
Happy Coachella!
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