Thousands of Coachella concertgoers descend on Indio for start of festival Friday
INDIO, Calif. (CNS) -- Thousands of celebrants were descending on the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday for the start of the two-weekend 2024 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, featuring a wide range of artists.
The fest runs Friday to Sunday, and again on April 19-21.
Lana Del Rey is set to perform both Fridays, along with Peso Pluma, Lil Uzi Vert, Justice, Ken Carson and Ben Sterling.
Tyler, The Creator is set to be the main stage showcase on Saturdays. Other bands on the slate are Ice Spice, Blur, Jungle, Dom Dolla, Bleachers and Kevin Kaarl.
Doja Cat will close out each weekend on Sundays. She'll be preceded by J Balvin, Jhene Aiko, Ludmilla, Lil Yachty, John Summit and DJ Snake.
An additional stage was added this year, as well as extended three- hour sets, featuring Honey Dijon and Green Velvet on Friday, Michael Bibi on Saturday and Jamie XX, Floating Points and Daphni on Sunday, April 14.
The weekend of April 19-21 will feature Rufus Du Sol the first day, Eric Prydz and Anyma the second day, and Diplo and Mau P for the closing number.
No Doubt's official social media page shared a video earlier this year confirming that the band will play again. The members -- Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young -- appeared in the announcement, saying they will "do a show," but didn't release any further details.
Preparations for traffic impacts connected with the fest started last month.
Avenue 50, between Monroe Street and Madison Avenue, has been closed since March 25 and will remain shut down until May 6 for the dual-weekend entertainment and extensive post-fest cleanups.
According to the city of Indio's traffic plan, there will be no pedestrian access on Monroe, between Avenue 49 and Avenue 52, nor along Madison Street, between Avenues 50 and 52.
Police cautioned that travel delays will be heavy along Washington Street, between Interstate 10 and Avenue 52, as well as Jefferson Street and Avenues 48 and 50 going into the Empire Polo Club grounds.
Campers began arriving to set up on Thursday. Non-campers can seek spots in the general parking area as early as 11 a.m. Friday to Sunday, before the venue opens at around 1 p.m. each day. Shuttle services will depart from local hotels at 12:30 p.m. daily.
Along with Indio police, other law enforcement agencies will be lending support throughout the event, including the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol.
Arrests for various, usually misdemeanor, violations are common during the celebrations.
High desert winds, churning up sand and dust clouds, have been known to disrupt the shows. According to the National Weather Service, a trough of low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska will make landfall in Southern California Friday night, racing across the region, generating "brief heavy showers" in isolated locations, though "overall rain amounts look to remain light."
Only a few hundredths of an inch are possible in the deserts.
"Gusty winds over the mountains and deserts will occur ... peaking Saturday afternoon and evening, with top gusts of 40-55 mph," the NWS stated. "A second, weaker round will occur Sunday afternoon and evening."
Festival information, including the entire list of musical acts set to take the stage, can be found at coachella.com/lineup.
