Samanchella

My Coachella Experience: Is It Worth It, How to Afford It, and How to Survive      

Author: Saman Bakayoko

Everybody has dreamed of going to Coachella at some point in their life. Maybe the dream was sparked by YouTube girlies, influencers, or just from seeing it plastered all over social media. Or maybe you're that person lying to yourself, pretending it’s not somewhere you want to be, when really, you’re just broke (okay, let me stop being messy 😅). Read this article if you're ready to be real with yourself, and I’ll tell you how to make Coachella easier.

See Youtube example below:

COACHELLA DAY 1 🌴VIP Experience!

Let’s be honest. Coachella is hard. I saw a professional raver, someone who literally goes to festivals for a living, say how difficult Coachella is. That inspired me to write this. This was my third Coachella and... golly, it’s hard. Every year, I question why I spend so much time, money, and effort just to serve a look in the middle of a random ass desert. But it’s what I live for. The planning, the stress, the tears. It takes me months to come up with a look (well, three), book my flights and accommodations, and newly this year, beg for PTO.

What I love most about the festival is that it gives me something to do, an outlet to channel my creativity. I’m dedicated to serving a look, but as I get older, I’m finding it harder to find experiences that require that level of effort. I work in person five days a week, and girl, I’m tired. So it’s nice to have something to live for. Still, it’s hard because I put so much pressure on myself to be the best, and it costs a lot physically, mentally, and financially.

(My looks from Day 0 to Day 3 pictured from left to right)

When I’m at the festival people stare, gag, compliment me and I can’t go 3 feet without someone asking for a picture. I always warn people when I travel with them and I recently warned my friend when I coordinated and creative directed our DAY 1 iconic stuffed animal look. They ended up getting overwhelmed and we quite literally had to run away and turn down people who wanted to take pictures with us. Celebrities have used me as a distraction so they could get away from huge crowds and so much more. My Coachella looks have gotten me on GETTY Images, all over Pinterest, featured in Celebrity Outfit Rating Videos and so much more! I respectfully like the attention and every year I’m in competition with myself from the year before. 

(On the left is 2022 and the right features 2023)

I enjoy twinning and just creative directing looks for my friends and I! 

For my first Coachella, I didn’t even have a job. And I went VIP and stayed at a resort. You might not believe me, but it’s true. I’m much more stable now, but for some reason, that was my easiest year. There are so many ways to make Coachella more affordable. They offer payment plans. That’s how I went the first time. I did my research. I always get annoyed when people make assumptions without doing any. With a payment plan, Coachella costs about as much as a monthly phone bill. And you can start paying ASAP. It’s so funny because this year there are insane articles coming out about how people are taking out loans to go to the festival and basically calling us normal people common peasants and creating this huge divide between the influencer/celebrity and regular every day person.

(During the Doja Cat set we waited for an hour for her to come on at our spot in the front. This girl who now that I think about it may have been on drugs was so obsessed with my eye makeup that she turned around and stared at me the whole time. She did ask for consent first but it was an experience)

I went for the first time in 2022 and started my payments in summer 2021. Sure, it’s a gamble. What if you end up hating the lineup? But honestly, people complain about the lineup every year, so it’s not that deep. Coachella today isn’t what it used to be. Back in the day, we had to wait for hours just to get on the site, and it was a fight to the death. Now you can buy a ticket a week before the festival. That’s insane to me. They even oversold shuttle passes this year, which used to be rare.

Fun Fact:Presale tickets go live May 2, 2025, for just $49 down. Very early in my opinion…

For me, Coachella is more about the experience. Being somewhere that everyone wants to be. I enjoy the music, but that’s not the main reason I go. If you’re a music person, payment plans are available year-round. Thankfully, they release the lineup earlier now, so you can always decide to join the fun later.

Festival 101

Let’s get into the real tips, not just “drink water” and “wear sunscreen.”

1. Go with people you actually like.

Coachella is annoying. People are annoying. You will be annoying. Go with someone who shares your music taste, unless you’re cool with splitting up (which I recommend). Honestly, I’d do a festival solo. Less pressure. You’re not going to see every artist you want, so be okay with that. Solo means full freedom: eat when you want, explore, make friends, and catch all the sets.

2. Match maintenance levels.

Are they a high-maintenance diva (me) or low-maintenance and ready in five minutes? Know your group. I need time to get ready, and I need downtime to recover between days. Mismatched expectations cause conflict.

3. Go early one day and explore.

I always forget to do this. There are tons of brand activations, free stuff, art installations, speakeasies, even a barbershop. You’re not just paying for music; you’re paying for the experience. Immerse yourself like you would in a new city. Coachella basically is one.

4. Upgrades are out there. 

Explore and be open to a little competition. You can get upgraded to VIP, Artist, or even Backstage passes. It’s possible.

Where to Stay

Step one: Have friends.  

Step two: Convince your friends to go.  

Step three: The more, the merrier (and cheaper).  

Expect to spend around $500+ per person for a good resort. Or save with a Motel 6. I usually do Airbnb, but honestly? Coachella’s hotel packages are amazing and sometimes more affordable if you buy early. I Highly recommend!

If you're feeling lucky (or manic), you might even catch a vibe and stay with someone for free. There’s also camping, but even that can get expensive. And don’t get me started on the shower line.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs is my oasis. I love the people, the vibe, the shops. And yes, the nightlife is decent (I’m from NYC, so take that lightly). During Weekend 1, they host a food festival on Thursday, Day 0. If you can go, do it. You’ll need to Uber, but they’re super affordable before the festival kicks off. This year, they had Chris Lake and fun DJs. It was a rager (sadly, I missed it). There are also competitions where you can win pass upgrades. You can also do Carpoolchella! This Coachella there was Carpoolchellagate! I’m on your side girly! 

Coachella is just as fun as it is a hard experience! Be prepared to walk, breathe in the dust (wear a bandana), lose your voice, and contract Coachella flu, but also be prepared to meet new people, have a new experience, see your favorite artists, see your favorite celebrities and influencers, and have insane stories! Oh and how can I forget the clout you would get from posting your pictures? Yes, Coachella is doable as fuck if you are not an influencer and hopefully, this gives you some tips on how to do it! By the way, I did get invited to Coachella this year by a brand but I already had tickets and opened my email too late and that is my Roman Empire! 

Coachella can be a lot more glamorous as an influencer and you also make money to go and get paid but the thing you sacrifice is that it becomes less about the festival and more about the brands! Manifesting getting paid to go next year! Another fellow Black creator @justinescameraroll got paid $27,000 to go and I’m like okay so let me get on my Zoom! 

If you want more Coachella stories tune into our Coachella podcast episode!