Coachella Valley Music Festival

It all started on a November 5th evening in 1993 when rock band Pearl Jam played before 25,000 fans at a free concert on the desert lawns of the Empire Polo Club. From there the seed was planted for the nation's biggest music festival to take form for one weekend, the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival.

Six years later the Coachella Valley Music Festival or what it's commonly known as Coachella Fest exhibits the best of the music world that perform for over 60,000 attendees each day in a span of 3 days with a variety of music performances playing at the same time on multiple stages.

In its early days, Coachella was held in the sultry month of October. But the Festival Organizers realized the desert heat was in full bloom during that time of the year and decided to move it up into April when the heat was more tolerable and sometimes downright comfortable.

It is in Indio were such musical performances like Madonna, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Prince, Nine Inch Nails, and Jay-Z have graced the stage in the desert.

What makes it an even more inviting event is the fact that camping is allowed on an adjacent polo field next to the venue grounds. The campsite provides a separate entrance, a karaoke lounge, a general store, and shower trucks.

The Coachella Fest has gradually grown into a musical bonanza for the avid music lovers since 2003. The festival is a prime event for reunion acts like Iggy Pop and The Stooges in 2003 or Rage Against the Machine's reunion in 2007, which drew nearly 100,000 fans.

I highly urge to refrain from driving yourself since parking is a nightmare. Instead there are two excellent options to use such as using the shuttle service that is provided from all points in the valley or carpool so to lessen the burden. Once there, have plenty of water and become aware of the surroundings. As the day carries into the night and the fun and excitement increases, it becomes easy to get distorted and lose track of where you are unless you know your way around.

Coachella Fest is much more than just music. It is a gathering of people that enable them to sustain friendships and make new ones all being aided by a variety of music as well as art work that can be seen throughout. Most of the pieces are interactive, and provide entertainment and eye candy, which there is a lot of, for the many attendees walking throughout the Polo grounds.

Coachella has become a signature event in the California desert and, if you love good music, a must stop on your next Palm Springs vacation.