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Coachella’s Growing Subcultures: The Festival Beyond the Music
Coachella blends music, fashion, food, and culture into one iconic desert experience that’s about much more than just the lineup.
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Coachella, the iconic music and arts festival held annually in Indio, California, has long been synonymous with music. But in recent years, it has evolved into something much larger—a cultural crossroads where fashion, brand activations, and networking often take center stage over the festival’s actual performances.
When Coachella debuted in 1999, it was an indie and alternative music fan’s mecca, with acts like Rage Against the Machine and Beck. While the festival still boasts an impressive lineup of artists 26 years later, with Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Green Day and Post Malone as the 2025 headliners, an ever-growing segment of attendees are there for reasons entirely separate from the music. Indeed, Variety spoke with 100 festivalgoers over the event’s first 24 hours — when asked whether they came for the music or the overall experience. 66% chose the experience.
“I bought my tickets before I even knew the lineup” one guest said. A longtime Coachella attendee, who has been to the festival 10 times (and sometimes both for weekend 1 and 2), said, “Even if the lineup isn’t the strongest, you go for the vibes.”
Popular on VarietySeparately, we ran a poll on Instagram with the same initial question. Out of 120+ respondents, 68% said they attend Coachella for the experience rather than the music.
It’s undeniable that fashion is the most prominent subculture at Coachella, often turning the festival into a dazzling desert runway. Attendees meticulously curate outfits, with 2025 trends highlighting countrycore, crochet ensembles, and ’70s glam revival. For many, festival fashion is no longer just about self-expression, but a key part of content creation. “Have you planned your outfits yet?” was the one question everyone asked me the moment they found out I was going to Coachella.
Vanessa Hudgens supercharged the fashion element in 2012 by wearing a flower crown that nearly broke the internet, and it has only snowballed from there. Retailers use “Coachella” in product descriptions now: One search of “Coachella” on ASOS alone brings up over 2,700 results.
For many, Coachella is work. Content creators flock to the festival with the sole mission of generating engagement. The main stage takes a backseat to the VIP tent, where influencers and industry insiders schmooze under the guise of “networking.”
Given Coachella’s proximity to Hollywood, celebrity spotting has become a major draw for festivalgoers, with sightings almost inevitable as they often blend in with the crowd — I casually spotted Louis Tomlinson strolling through the VIP section during Missy Elliott’s set.
Beyond the music and celebrity sightings, Coachella has become just as much about the experiences and brand activations as it is about the performances. Heineken, Amex, and Neutrogena have taken over the landscape, turning Coachella into an interactive billboard with photogenic pop-ups and limited-edition releases. Remember the Adidas x Bad Bunny sneaker drop in 2023? It generated more buzz than half the artists on the lineup.
Some don’t even enter the festival grounds, drawn instead to exclusive invite-only events like those hosted by Revolve or Neon Carnival. Revolve Festival launched in 2015, is an invite-only event that runs alongside the main festival, completely separate from Coachella. The carefully curated event caters to influencers, celebrities, and industry insiders. With restricted access, it operates more like a private event rather than a festival.
Beyond fashion and brand engagements, Coachella 2025 is also catering to the food-obsessed by showcasing over 75 dining establishments. Many food enthusiasts attend Coachella, treating it like a food festival in addition to a music event, drawn by the diverse and exciting culinary offerings. In fact, you could spend your entire day exploring the food scene and still have a full festival experience. Foodies can savor Tijuana-style tacos from Tacos 1986, a four-course meal at Outstanding in the Field, or if you’re participating in Soberchella, the New Bar offers a plethora of options for non-drinkers. There is an entire community catered to the sober group, with AA meetings also taking place on-site during the festival.
Despite the event’s official title — the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — the “arts” aspect felt noticeably lacking. Most of what’s billed as art is actually brand activations designed for Instagram, not contemplation. Coachella’s own website lists just eight official art installations, such as the Balloon Chain by Robert Bose and Do LaB, a colorful canopy display which provided necessary shade for attendees. In fact, the most impressive art is onstage — like Lady Gaga’s headlining set, which consisted of uniquely curated storytelling with elaborate outfit changes and stunning vampirecore set design.
With general admission tickets starting at $599 — before factoring in travel and lodging — it’s fair to question whether the “experience” lives up to the price. With high-profile attendees increasingly spending more time at exclusive offsite events rather than inside the festival grounds, it does make one wonder whether the music already has become secondary, or even optional? Perhaps the answer lies in its ability to be both.
Given Coachella’s proximity to Hollywood, celebrity spotting has become a major draw for festivalgoers, with sightings almost inevitable. It’s a place where your favorite celebs roam the festival grounds, often blending in with the crowd. I casually spotted Louis Tomlinson strolling through the VIP section during Missy Elliott’s set.
Beyond the music and celebrity sightings, Coachella has become just as much about the experiences and brand activations as it is about the performances. Heineken, Amex, and Neutrogena have taken over the landscape, turning Coachella into an interactive billboard with photogenic pop-ups and limited-edition releases. Remember the Adidas x Bad Bunny sneaker drop in 2023? It generated more buzz than half the artists on the lineup.
Some don’t even enter the festival grounds, drawn instead to exclusive invite-only events like those hosted by Revolve or Neon Carnival. Take Revolve Festival as an example: launched in 2015, it’s an invite-only event that runs alongside the main festival, completely separated from Coachella. The carefully curated event caters to influencers, celebrities, and industry insiders. With restricted access, it operates more like a private event rather than a festival.
With high-profile attendees increasingly spending more time at exclusive offsite events rather than inside the festival grounds, it raises the question: Could Coachella eventually become a festival where the music is secondary, or even optional? Perhaps the answer lies in its ability to be both—a place where music and culture merge, attracting audiences for a variety of reasons, whether it’s the performances, the experiences, or the opportunity to be part of a global cultural moment.
Beyond fashion and brand engagements, Coachella 2025 is also catering to the food-obsessed by showcasing over 75 dining establishments. Many food enthusiasts attend Coachella, treating it like a food festival in addition to a music event, drawn by the diverse and exciting culinary offerings. In fact, you could spend your entire day exploring the food scene and still have a full festival experience. Foodies can savor Tijuana-style tacos from Tacos 1986, a four-course meal at Outstanding in the Field, or if you’re participating in Soberchella, The New Bar offers a plethora of options for non-drinkers. There is an entire community catered to the sober group, with AA meetings also taking place on-site during the festival.
Although the event is officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the “arts” aspect felt noticeably lacking. Most of what’s billed as art is actually brand activations designed for Instagram, not introspection. And while the majority of people I interviewed said they were here for the overall experience, the actual art presence was underwhelming. Coachella’s own website lists just eight official art installations, such as the Balloon Chain by Robert Bose and Do LaB, a colorful canopy display which provided necessary shade for attendees. As an arts festival too, Coachella could consider adding a comedy line up, an art gallery, or an author book reading to expand on the many facets of art. Honestly, the most artistic thing I saw all weekend was by far Lady Gaga’s headlining set that consisted of uniquely curated storytelling with elaborate outfit changes and stunning vampirecore set design.
With general admission tickets starting at $599—before factoring in travel and lodging—it’s fair to question whether the “experience” lives up to the price. Ironically, the YouTube livestream is free and delivers the music, without the cost and crowds.
There’s no denying that Coachella is a feast for the senses and its influence reaches far beyond the music. While music remains at its core (for now), many attend for the buzzing atmosphere that surrounds it. It’s safe to say that the Coachella isn’t just a music festival, but an entire aesthetic.
