Weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival delivered plenty of highs, but we noticed a handful of things that could use some attention before Weekend 2 arrives.
Aside from moments that were beyond the festival’s control, like Anyma canceling his Day 1 set due to wind and even a car fire in parking lot 2A on Day 2, there were several fixable problems.
Here’s our list of things that could be improved for Weekend 2.
Let’s make sure the lights stay up and so do the vibes
Desert winds always significantly affect the festival, but last weekend brought a different kind of wind-related — or basic negligence — issue than we’re used to encountering. On Day 1, social media users reported that a light fell on an attendee and injured her in the Do LaB during DJ John Summit’s surprise set, leading to a temporary closure of the Do LaB for the rest of the evening. Promoter Goldenvoice has not responded to inquiries from The Desert Sun about the reported incident, but several attendees confirmed that security guards told them the area was closed due to a piece of stage equipment falling on an attendee.
The Do LaB was back open the next day and there were no more reported issues, but this was an inexcusable incident. Ensuring all equipment is secure should be a top priority.
Let’s fix The Bunker’s grass, which looks like Radiohead could write a song about it
The grass on the new Bunker, which houses Radiohead’s “Kid A Mnesia” exhibit, is screaming, “I’m not OK Computer.” During Weekend 1, much of the hill, which is covered with grass squares that have clearly defined borders, had become damaged, with several sections torn or completely coming off the man-made hill (our editor accidentally slid down a section where the grass was gone by night one).
This popular location, situated between the Sahara tent and the Do LaB, also provides festivalgoers with a place to sit or stand while watching performances on both stages — but watch where you walk, especially if you’re not wearing closed-toe shoes.
Let’s make sure the parking lot exodus doesn’t take a lifetime
We understand that Coachella is a massive music festival with thousands of attendees each day, resulting in many cars filling its three main parking lots. However, it often feels like leaving the festival each night is more difficult than it needs to be, and this is an issue that could be easily addressed by putting more thought into how the attendants line up the cars. Another issue is the lack of attendants actually guiding cars. During Day 2 of Weekend 1, following Justin Bieber’s headlining performance, there was barely any traffic enforcement in the main exit of parking lot 2A to guide traffic, and it was chaos (and don’t get us started on the car fire from that night).
Let’s fix the technical difficulties at the Outdoor Theatre
There’s always a few technical difficulties that happen at Coachella, and it appears that the Outdoor Theatre bore the brunt of them. It was most noticeable during Sombr’s rocking set on Saturday, when, at first, the massive screens on either side of him were entirely pitch black before they finally turned on halfway through his second song. Later, as he brought out special guest Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Corgan’s microphone wasn’t working up until the chorus. These singers handled all these glitches like pros, but hopefully all the mishaps will be avoided this time around.
Let’s make sure Anyma can actually perform
The anticipation is at an all-time high for Anyma’s new ÆDEN show, which was supposed to have its world premiere during Coachella Weekend 1. However, the festival decided last-minute to cancel the show because of winds in the area and concerns for audience safety. Safety should always come first, so good on the festival for making that decision (even if the winds didn’t seem too out of the ordinary on Friday night). But let’s hope for everyone’s sake that the show will actually go on, or else this will end up being the second biggest flop of Coachella this year after the Do LaB incident.
Let’s find some solutions for crowd control
We definitely felt the strain of a sold-out festival during Weekend 1, and at times, the festival grounds were a bit claustrophobic. It was most obvious on Saturday, when it appeared as though everyone in the world was ready to catch a glimpse of headliner Justin Bieber. Getting from stage to stage proved to be mission impossible each time, and don’t even get us started on all the lines. We know there’s little we can do with this during Weekend 2, but we just hope people can spread out a bit more and not cause us to rethink all of our life decisions.
Let’s hope Sabrina Carpenter switches up her costume changes
Listen, we thought Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining performance was a true showstopper, until things came to a halt with her special guests. Instead of singers, her guests came in the form of actress Susan Sarandon, who delivered a reflective five-minute monologue about Hollywood, which did not go over well with the crowd as it was difficult to hear what she was saying, people didn’t know what was happening and it really dragged on. Later on, comedian Will Ferrell appeared as a disgruntled electrician to “fix” some lighting issues on the stage, which the audience seemed more receptive toward. We hope Carpenter has a few more tricks up her sleeve for Weekend 2, especially since she’s been slotted an extra 10 minutes for her set this Friday. Maybe that means we’ll get a few more songs or collabs out of her.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com. Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her st ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twiiter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 7 things that need to be fixed before Coachella 2026 Weekend 2 begins
Reporting by Brian Blueskye and Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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