The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, or Coachella as most call it, is an annual two weekend three day music and arts festival. Coachella is one of the largest, most famous and most profitable festivals in the US. In 2014, 579,000 people attended the festival and the event made a record breaking $78.3 million. It was founded in 1999 by Paul Tollett and has been held every year during the second and third weekends of April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The event features a variety of music genres, including hip hop, indie, rock, and electronic dance music. The event also showcases art installations and sculptures. There are several stages that host live music across the festival grounds. The main stages are: Coachella Stage, Gobi Tent, Outdoor Theatre, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent.

Coachella showcases popular musical artists, as well as rising artists and reunited groups. Some notable appearances from past events include: Amy Winehouse, Dr. Dre, Prince, Wu-Tang Clan, The Killers, and Foo Fighters.

A lot of hype has surrounded this year’s event and it appears as though festival goers will not be disappointed. This year’s lineup of artists, much like years past, is quite diverse. Headliners of the festival this year include classic rock band AC/DC, Drake and Steely Dan among other notable artists. While the main acts are becoming more mainstream due to the ever increasing size of the festival, Coachella still holds true to its roots by featuring lesser known artists and bands of varying genres. This allows even the most eclectic music junkies to get their fill of EDM, indie rock, hip-hop and more.

Last year, an estimated 96,000 people attended Coachella, just a few thousand short of the 99,000 cap. The crowds have become so massive that performers are being booked for whole weekends instead of single nights. This gives lesser known bands ample opportunity to promote themselves to a large audience which embodies one of the ideas behind the festival. The ever-expanding event, with the help of mainstream headliners and social media, is garnering more attention than ever before.

The success of Coachella in its early years proved that festivals can be successful in destination form as opposed to a traveling festival. In the following years of Coachella’s success, many other festivals started following in its footsteps, copying its style of multiple stages, attractions, art and camping. Some of these festivals have become equally popular such as Lollapalooza in Chicago and Bonnaroo in Tennessee.