Coachella 2026: The Hits, Misses And Best Fits
Photo Credit: Ascend in Motion
Every spring, Coachella, an internationally-renowned music and arts festival begins at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Since its inauguration in 1999, the music festival has shifted from a handful of local shows to a global cultural movement that blends music, social media, and fashion.
This year, Coachella spanned two weekends, from Apr. 10-12 and Apr. 17-19. The lineup was announced in September 2025, and the festival sold out in less than a week, with both VIP and general admission tickets being quickly claimed, according to The Los Angeles Times.
This year's headliners were Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G, with additional special performances from Anyma, an Italian DJ. The supporting lineup had a great diversity of music genres, ranging from pop and hip hop to Indie and electronic music.
Friday’s lineup brought performances from The xx, Nine Inch Noize, Disclosure, Turnstile, Ethel Cain, and BINI. Saturday’s featured The Strokes, GIVEON, Addison Rae, Labrinth, and David Byrne. Sunday’s round out with Young Thug, BIGBANG, Laufey, Major Lazer, Iggy Pop, and FKA twigs.
The festival broke numerous records, with Karol G being the first Latina artist to headline and Justin Bieber being paid a historic $10 million artist fee. In addition, Bieber obtained a record-breaking $15 million in merchandise sales from his brand Skylrk, and over 125,000 people attended the festival daily.
In addition to the music, Coachella is also known for its fashion trends. Attendees wear creative outfits, often following a boho-chic trend which has become synonymous with the festival. There is a long history of Coachella attendees wearing fringe boots, flower crowns, crochet dresses, and similar free-spirited pieces, as reported by Vogue.
Despite its popularity, the festival also faces criticism for its high costs. Ticket prices are costly, with general admission prices starting at $550, and VIP prices start at $1,200, not including the high prices of many of the hotels and Airbnb homes nearby. Still, hundreds of thousands of fans continue to attend each year.
Both weekends of Coachella were livestreamed on YouTube across the venue’s seven stages, offering continuous coverage of the performances alongside documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage from the festival's 25-year history. The livestream made the festival accessible to international audiences from far beyond the venue, accruing millions of views online.