2019-09-01 Cosmopolitan South Africa

TRAVEL

There’s a reason Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

(commonly referred to as ‘Chella’) is so famous – there’s

nothing quite like it. With a star-studded line-up – the coolest
newcomers on the music scene, artists of Beyoncé’s calibre,

and a guest list comprising of A-class celebs and famous

influencers – it’s an all-access pass to a Hollywood-meets-
dancing-in-the-desert affair. Why attend? Because it’s a ‘tick

off your bucket list’ experience that will not only completely

overwhelm you (from the art installations, to the fashion seen

on Chella-goers, to the music talent) but you’ll also be sure
to experience many pinch-me moments.

Festival tickets
We hate to break it to you but
tickets aren’t cheap, so start saving
up as soon as you can. If finances
are tight, Coachella offers a pretty
convenient payment plan that
allows you to pay off tickets in
monthly instalments. Read all
about this at Coachella.com.

The line-up
Coachella covers all music
genres, so every festivalgoer is
catered for. 2019 saw Childish
Gambino, Ariana Grande and
Tame Impala take centre stage;
next year we’re crossing fingers
for Rihanna!

Visa
Getting a US visa is no easy feat.
We advise applying for it months in
advance to ensure you receive it in
time. For more info, visit Ais.usvisa-
info.com/en-za/niv.

General admission

forallthreedays:

$429(aboutR6370)

General admission +

shuttleforallthreedays

$509(aboutR7560)

VIP for all three days

$999 (about R14 835)

Visit Coachella.com/passes

Getting there

It’s a long journey, but it will

be worth it! Catch a KLM

Royal Dutch Airlines flight (the

flight has two legs: Cape Town

to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to

Los Angeles), which will total about

23 hours. Flight prices vary and

start from about R15 500 if you

book in advance. From LAX, catch

a one-hour flight to Palm Springs

and then Uber to where you are

staying. Alternatively, make use

of the reasonably priced shuttle

service from LAX to the festival

grounds as well as select hotels.

The shuttle takes about three

hours, so make a pit stop

(and stretch those legs) at

Cabazon Dinosaurs, the world’s

biggest dinosaur museum, for

a photo opportunity with an

enormous dinosaur!

Where to stay

There are camping facilities

available, but you’ll appreciate

the comfort of a hotel, trust us

(there are many options nearby,

as well as in Palm Springs).

About a 30-minute drive from the

festival is a little piece of heaven:

La Serena Villas. This luxury

boutique hotel in Palm Springs

is just what the doctor ordered

after a full day and night of

partying at dusty Coachella.

One of the

incredible,

large-scale art

installations

Zipho and

Cleo at LAX

Cleo in front

of the iconic

Ferris wheel