Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 12th-14th & April 19th-21st, 2024 //

With sunshine once again showering the Golden State this week, it’s hard to believe that we are only days away from Coachella’s 23rd installment.

Yep, it’s already that time of the year again, and with ticket sales for the famed California music festival not quite the same as in previous years (Weekend 2 hasn’t sold out yet), we find ourselves pondering if Goldenvoice curated a lineup that leaves something to be desired.

One thing we can’t say is it’s low on star power, though. Of course there’s Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat making their headlining debuts as well as No Doubt reuniting for the first time since 2015, but after surprising us with guest appearances by Arcade Fire in 2022 and blink-182 in 2023, Paul Tollett and his team have pulled another rabbit out of their collective hat while unlike last year, remaining right on schedule.

Vampire Weekend 1 pic.twitter.com/UMOEMKTQLf

— Coachella (@coachella) April 9, 2024

Now the latest trick up Tollett’s sleeve is another surprise guest appearing on this year’s set times, and if you just happen to be a fan of Vampire Weekend, then you are in luck. The indie-rock group made up of Ezra Koenig (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Baio (bass, backing vocals, occasional piano) and Chris Tomson (drums, percussion, occasional guitar, backing vocals) put out their fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us last week and played their first show since 2022 last night under a total eclipse at a sold-out Moody Amphitheatre in Austin, Texas. With their next one not coming until the end of this month at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, why not make a stop in the desert first before heading down to the bayou? For those of you here in California, they will be back not long after in June for headline dates at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre in San Diego, the iconic Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theatre Berkeley (two nights) as part of a 2024 tour extending through December with more than 50 gigs already booked in North America, Europe and the UK.

While their tour schedule could allow for it, we will have to wait and see if Vampire Weekend will be joining the festivities for Weekend 2 (stay tuned here to find out next week). But if you want to catch them during Weekend 1, make sure to arrive at the Outdoor Theatre before 5 p.m. on Saturday when Koenig and company have been scheduled to perform. And for those of you who won’t be making the trek out to Indio, let’s hope their 45-minute set as well as No Doubt’s that evening at 9:25 p.m. on the Coachella Stage will be available to watch on the fest’s livestream. As we know from years past, that’s not always the case unfortunately. After all, who could forget what happened with Frank Ocean only a year ago.

Heading out to the Empire Polo Club? If so, don’t forget your sunscreen and water bottle … we also want to hear it straight from you: what’s your biggest conflict, and who are you most excited for?

WEEKEND 1 SET TIMES

WEEKEND 2 SET TIMES

The schedule for Weekend 2 has been released, and Goldenvoice has one more surprise in store for Coachella’s 2024 edition. It won’t be Vampire Weekend rocking the Outdoor Theatre again, but more hip-hop is heading to the Sahara Stage instead as two-time Grammy winner Kid Cudi joins the party Sunday at 5:10 p.m. We are also wondering what happened to AP Dhillon, the Indo-Canadian singer and rapper who had the same slot during Weekend 1 but is nowhere to be found when you check out the set times for Weekend 2 above. There are also some differences early in the day on Saturday and Sunday, but nothing earth-shattering,

MAP

This year’s map is out, and there aren’t a whole lot of changes in the past 12 months. The direct path from the Sahara Tent to the Sonora, Gobi and Mojave Tents is still there as you stroll by the Do LaB’s stage and food area, but with the Yuma Tent well-established now as Coachella’s quasi nightclub (pro tip: there’s some terrific air conditioning inside when you get hot out there), the debut of Quasar has to be one of the most intriguing additions to the polo fields.

The festival’s new electronic music-focused stage, as previously reported, will boast extended three-hour sets from several high-profile artists, including a trio of All-Star DJs as Jamie xx, Floating Points and Caribou leader Dan Snaith’s side project Daphni garner the spotlight during Weekend 1. RÜFÜS DU SOL, meanwhile, will have the honor of performing their own DJ set at Weekend 2 on Friday plus collaborations by Eric Prydz and Anyma as well as Diplo and Mau P over the final two days.

If you are still thinking about going, you can hop on the waitlist for Weekend 1 here or purchase tickets for Weekend 2 (GA and VIP) here along with whatever parking and shuttle passes are left.

Happy Coachella!