The first weekend of Coachella 2026 has come and gone, and honestly, we’re a little relived.
Festival season is always a hectic time, but this year, Coachella felt a little extra anxiety-inducing after hearing about a light falling on a spectator in the Do Lab Day 1, seeing a car fire in parking lot 2A on Day 2 and experiencing high winds throughout the weekend that left the campgrounds a mess by the morning of Day 3.
But among the chaotic moments, there were plenty of wonderful ones, so let’s relieve the top seven most memorable moments — the good, the bad and the ones that were just plain unforgettable for various reasons.
The unveiling of Radiohead’s Bunker
No, Radiohead was not at Coachella, much to the dismay of many rock fans, but they were nonetheless well represented thanks to an exhibit inside the festival’s newest structure, The Bunker. The fake grass-covered building houses a massive underground theater, seemingly tailor-made to showcase its debut show, Radiohead’s “Kid A Mnesia.” Festivalgoers who journeyed inside witnessed a (slightly demonic) art show and an extended music video made of the artwork created by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and artist Stanley Donwood. The whole experience was odd yet enticing, which begged the question: what the hell are they going to do with this structure next year?
Teddy Swims bringing out a slew of special guests
Teddy Swims showed why he’s quickly become a household name Friday by performing a commanding set that showcased his extraordinary vocal ability. But his performance may ultimately be remembered for the spectacular surprises it delivered. Swims first brought out Joe Jonas so the two could sing Jonas Brothers song “When You Look Me In The Eyes” in what was likely one of the most exciting moments of the fest for pretty much every woman born between 1990 and 2002. Then, out came Vanessa Carlton to duet her most famous song, the early 2000s touchstone “A Thousand Miles.” But it was classic rock fans who were perhaps in for the biggest thrill of all when a spry-looking 71-year-old David Lee Roth (note to Gen Z: that was Van Halen’s lead singer) joined Swims on stage for “Jump.”
Sabrina Carpenter making the bold decision to go without musical guests
There was much speculation on social media in the weeks leading up to the fest about who Sabrina Carpenter might bring onstage as a guest during her headlining debut — the predictions ranged from Olivia Rodrigo to Dolly Parton to Carpenter’s buddy Taylor Swift — but none of those predictions were correct, because the “Manchild” singer decided not to share the spotlight with any musical artist. She did, however, invite several actors to take part in her set, including Sam Elliott during what appeared to be a pre-taped video intro, Susan Sarandon and Carpenter’s former “Girl Meets World” costar Corey Fogelmanis for a fun interaction in a prop car during a costume change, and Will Ferrell for some comedic relief during another costume change.
Anyma set getting canceled due to high wind
Italian-American DJ and music producer Anyma was scheduled to close out Day 1 on the main stage, yet after the audience was kept waiting about 15 minutes past his scheduled set time, a message flashed across the video screens saying it was canceled due to wind. In a post on X the next day, he elaborated somewhat, saying “the dangerous winds not only prevented us and Coachella from building our stage, but also made it impossible for my live setup and performance to operate safely.” That means nobody got to see Anyma’s world premiere of his new ÆDEN show, which will now make its world premiere at Weekend 2, however the DJ did get to have a last-minute set with Marlon Hoffstadt at the Do Lab (sans visuals) Sunday to make his fans happy.
Justin Bieber singing with his childhood self
To say that the Biebs’ much-anticipated Coachella debut was polarizing would be an understatement. But regardless of whether you were a fan or a hater, there’s no denying that none of us will soon forget the most unique portion of his set: when the megastar pulled out his laptop, cued up YouTube and took us on a journey through his early discography, which also included a sing along with his younger self (not to mention that quick foray down the rabbit hole to watch the Deez Nuts video). To some, it will live on as an incisive take on the social media age and the YouTube medium that made Bieber famous. To others, it was just a lazy performance. But no one can say it wasn’t different than the typical Coachella headlining spectacle.
A Do Lab injury and a near-catastrophe in the parking lot
Although the festival will be remembered for its great performances this year, sadly it will also be remembered as a year when a few major things went wrong. Friday, the same day that Anyma’s set was canceled due to wind, social media users reported that a light fell on an attendee, causing the Do Lab’s temporary closure for the evening (Goldenvoice, however, did not respond to questions about the incident). The next day, though the wind wasn’t quite as bad, a car fire in parking lot 2A cast a literal and figurative dark shadow over the grounds, spooking festivalgoers who were trying to head home for the night after Bieber’s headlining set.
Karol G making history as the first Latina to headline Coachella
Reggaeton and urbano superstar Karol G closed out the festival’s first weekend on Sunday, and she did so with so much joy, it brought tears to this writer’s eyes. Not only was it an incredible performance with powerful vocals, hot choreography and a super creative set design, it was a performance so genuinely rooted in Latino pride — and a desire to not only celebrate, but educate others on Latin culture — that it was hard not to ponder the impact of its timing, especially under the current administration.
(This story was updated to add a photo.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 7 most memorable moments of Coachella 2026, from Bieber to a car fire
Reporting by Niki Kottmann and Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
