Indio, Calif. — Thousands of revelers will descend on the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday for the start of the two-weekend 2024 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, packed with artists at the cutting edge of contemporary sounds.
Campers will be able to check in early at 9 a.m. Thursday, according to officials.
The fest runs Friday through Sunday and again April 19-21.
Lana Del Rey will perform on both Fridays of the event, along with Peso Pluma, Lil Uzi Vert, Justice, Ken Carson and Ben Sterling.
Tyler, The Creator is set to headline the stage on Saturday. Other bands on the list are Ice Spice, Blur, Jungle, Dom Dolla, Bleachers and Kevin Kaarl.
Doja Cat will close every weekend on Sunday. She will be preceded by J Balvin, Jhene Aiko, Ludmilla, Lil Yachty, John Summit and DJ Snake.
An extra stage has been 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 on day one, Eric Prydz and Anyma on day two and Diplo and Mau P for the closing act.
No Doubt’s official social media page shared a video earlier this year that confirmed the band would be performing together again, with a note now on their website that reads “See you in the desert this April.” The reunited members – Gwen Stefani, Tony Canal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young – haven’t performed together since 2015.
Preparations for the traffic impacts associated with the festival began last month.
50th Avenue, between Monroe Street and Madison Avenue, has been closed since March 25 and will remain closed until May 6 for the weekend’s double party and the necessary extensive cleanup after the festival.
According to the city of Indio’s traffic plan, starting Friday, there will be no pedestrian access on Monroe, between Avenue 49 and Avenue 52, nor on Madison Street, between Avenue 50 and 52.
Police warned that travel delays will be extensive along Washington Street, between Interstate 10 and 52nd Avenue, and along Jefferson Street and 48th and 50th Avenues, which enter the Empire Polo Club grounds.
Non-campers can start finding their parking spaces in the general parking area as early as 11am Friday through Sunday before the site opens around 1pm each day. Transfers will depart from local hotels daily at 12:30pm.
Along with the Indio Police Department, other law enforcement agencies will provide support during the event, including the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Arrests for various, usually criminal, offenses are common during the festival festivities.
Strong desert winds, kicking up clouds of dust, have been known to interrupt performances. According to the National Weather Service, “another deep, cold trough (will be) down the West Coast and moving across Southern California Saturday or Sunday.”
“There will be refinements to the weather and impacts … but it will bring windy, cooler weather and a chance for showers (in parts of the Inland Empire),” the NWS said.
Information about the festival, including the full list of musical acts taking the stage, can be found at www.coachella.com/lineup.
