Everything I Wish I Knew Before My First Coachella in Coachella, Experiences, Life, Travel on 04/10/19 Festival season is officially upon us peeps. Come this weekend, Instagram feeds will be filled with #CoachellaGoalz, and, especially if your name is Meghan Wainwright, that healthy but also low key all consuming FOMO will officially be in full swing! Can’t wait!! Jk all good guys. I am honestly so so sad that I won’t be attending Coachella this year š It’s always been a highlight of my year and some of my all time favorite memories have been made in that little desert oasis. Plus, I somehow got invited to Revolve Festival this year which legit would have been the f ing pinnacle of my blogging career hahaha.Ā Originally I had planned on goingā this was the first year I opted not to purchase my tickets during the June pre-sale (you basically just pay $70 a month as part of a payment plan), and when I tried my luck in January for the GA sale they sold out. On top of that, I knew that my lodging accommodations would have to be arranged unlike in past years (I would always stay at my ex’s family’s place), and I knew my sister would probably end up camping because that’s what her boyfriend and group of friends were all going to do (which lol that’s a no from me dawg)… Aaaaand on top of that, I realized that I wouldn’t have enough PTO accrued at work. The stars just weren’t aligning, womp womp. That said, I will definitely be buying my tickets as part of the June sale this coming year, and knowing that I will be living in LA next year will make it so much easier to nail down logistics. Anywho, although I am skipping out on the festivities this year, I thought I would put together a little roundup of tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years for any of you might be heading there for your first time! I did somewhat cover this in my previous Coachella posts, but what I’m about to dish is definitely my most up to date advice! Everything I Wish I Knew Before My First Coachella Avoid an aggressive pre gameā¦ It’s a marathon and not a sprint. Like, it is a really long ass day, and paired with the desert heat and sun exposure, you really gotta pace yourself. Even if it’s tempting to load up on drinks beforehand to save some extra $$ in the beer garden. By the time you Uber or shuttle to the venue, it’ll then take a really long time to actually walk into the festival/clear security/fill up your water bottles (which is the first thing you’ll want to do once you’re in there). And this all typically takes place during the hottest part of the day. And you wonāt be shaded at all. Backpacks are LIFE. Pack them up with a refillable water bottle, SPF, baby wipes, lip balm, layers, a phone charger (they have charging stations all over), anything you think you may need. Or, just like, make your boyfriend or guy friend put your stuff in theirs so you can rock a cute lil fanny pack. Either way, make sure you have backpack access somehow. Drink water and apply SPF constantly.Ā Duh. If you’re someone who does noooot deal well with heat, consider wearing a hat because it will help keep you cool. Not only is Coachella a prime time and place to rock one, it really will help keep the sun off you and make you feel a bit more comfortable. Learned this one personally the hard way!! I was always so much happier on days I incorporated a hat into my look. The desert heat turns cold at nightā¦ Mid 50s to 60s typically, so bring a jacket. And pack it in your backpack lol! See, told you backpacks were smart. Closed toe shoes are the way to go. Iāve worn sandals, sneakers, and boots and the two days I wore a pair of short Madewell boots last year were actually the happiest of feet days. They offered enough support for a full day of walking, plus it meant not having to deal with gross, dusty feet. On the subject, I wore a pair of Vans last year on the last day and literally DIED. Damn, they may look cute but they have zero support. Lesson learned. Pack a headlamp for walking around at night/sitting in a circle in the grass. Which, will happen more than you think. The sitting in the grass part. BYOT (bring your own toilet paper). I mean, not likeā¦ a ton lol. But it will run out in the port-o-potties and if you have some packed in your BACKPACK you will be the very happiest. (K enough with the backpack thing, I just feel like no girls do this and it’s like ladies you are missing OUT). Donāt just go with whatever the group is doing. Decide who you want to see and make it happen. I missed a ton of performers I would have loved to see my first year and had a ton of regrets. My second year, I planned out the lineup that I specifically wanted to see, and it ended up being the exact same list as my sister’s, which worked perfectly. That said, going solo to a show and meeting up with your friends after is by zeeeeero means an impossible task. If you can work with a buddy system, great, but as long as you’re not ridiculously fucked up then you will definitely be able to pre plan a place to meet your group after your show ends. It’s honestly super easy to meet up with people at the beer gardens. Lines for everything take fucking forever, so plan ahead. If you want to go to the beer garden to fuel up on food and drinks, plan it into your schedule and give yourself time to wait in lines and then walk to wherever the next set is. Golden hour/right before the sun is about to set is the BEST time for pictures.Ā Like, yeah bitch, I’m here for the music but I also want pics of my festival ‘fits and documentation of this little dream land. For me, the content creation part has always been part of the experience (especially as a blogger). The place is decked out with magical art installations and the skies turn into cotton candy… Like it just deserves to be photographed! Doing an appropriate amount of planning/scoping out will serve you wonders for your feed. But also… my sister got her favorite Coachella photo when we were just chilling on the grass and not even thinking about it and one of us just snapped her. Sooo it’s definitely both! But when in doubt, wait till that magical lighting hits and you can’t go wrong. The ferris wheel is WORTH IT! Do it at night when you have some downtime before the headliners. You get such an insane view and itās just a great opportunity to take it all in. A ton of people always try and do it the third night, so keep in mind there may be more of a line then. I went at the end of the first night and didn’t have to wait at all! Pack a bandana for dust storms/ leaving the venue at night. I honestly had no idea why bandanas wereĀ so synonymous with Coachella until my first year… Those dust storms are no joke!! Also, when you are leaving the venue at night, it’s close to a 15/20 min walk to the driver pick up/shuttle area, there is just soooo much dust kicked into the air. It’s tough to breathe and pretty miserable, so definitely be prepared and pack a bandana……. in your backpack. Lol. Speaking of, know that getting to your pick up/shuttle home at the end of the night will be the closest you can get to experiencing Hell!Ā Only slightly exaggerating. It’s a long day, you’re exhausted from walking and dancing and being in the sun all day and literally the only thing you want at this point in time is to fast forward to a cold shower and getting into bed. And you just need to sit on the grass and wait for the queue of drivers and shuttles to come as escort you away. Donāt sweat the small stuff and just try and be in the moment. Coachella is NOT over hyped and I stand by thatā it is a magical place where you can have one of the best weekends of your life, so just go with the flow and have fun. It can be really easy to stress if your plans arenāt panning out perfectly and thatās okay. My sister and I were just talking about this; like even if you lose your phone or some shit, you Cannot. Let. It. Ruin. Your. Day. Oh. And the Coachella Blues are REAL. If you can take off a couple extra days of work after the Sunday I highly recommend it… Or at bare minimum that Monday off. I had to fly to Detroit for work at 5 am the day after I landed at O’Hare at midnight, and I literally have never wanted to be dead more in that moment. It was brutal and honestly I’m still traumatized hahahaha. If you canāt afford the extra time off, at least plan a nice little self care evening for yourself cause you will be sad and you will be hurting š Hey, just keeping it real. Without a doubt, so, so, SO worth it though.