Coachella: Everything you need to know about the festival

Thousands are preparing to descend upon the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, simply known as Coachella, this month. The music festival is known for attracting the biggest names in music from across different genres for two jam-packed weekends.

Coachella has gone from a modest festival to one of the most popular. This year, headliners include The Weeknd, Beyoncé and Eminem. Here is a guide on everything you need to know.

When is Coachella?

Coachella is a two-weekend musical festival taking place April 13-15 and April 20-22. The festival moved from being one weekend to two in 2012 due to increasing popularity.

Although the event takes place over two weekends, the lineup remains the same with artists performing for each weekend.

Where is Coachella?

The Coachella Valley is located in Southern California's Inland Empire. The festival itself is in the city of Indio, where temperatures can exceed 90 degrees. Besides music, the festival also has art installations and various tents.

Coachella traffic

Heads up, if you use the I-10 between Beaumont and Indio or State Route 60 from Moreno Valley to Beaumont, you'll be seeing a lot of traffic. Caltrans warns motorists that thousands of people will drive to and from the festivals over the next three weeks, with the heaviest travel on eastbound I-10 beginning Friday and Saturday and on westbound I-10 Sunday through Monday.

"Please plan ahead and avoid the delays by traveling early in the morning or late evenings," Caltrans said in a press release.

How much are Coachella tickets?

General admission passes for Coachella cost $429 and are purchased months in advance before the lineup is announced. VIP passes are available for $999.

What to wear to Coachella

Coachella is in a desert, so expect a lot of sun during the day and plenty of people wearing as little as they can. Once the sun drops, the low temps will make people switch out of their bathing suits and into something warmer.

Where can I watch if I don't have a ticket?

If you'd rather avoid the heat and crowds, you can enjoy the music from Coachella from the comfort of your own home. The performances of the 78 artists, including headliners Beyonce and The Weeknd, will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Starting Friday, you can visit Coachella's YouTube channel to catch the exclusive inside access.