PHOTOGRAPHYCLEO MARCOPOULOS AND ZIPHO NTLOKOApp
The official Coachella app is
a must-have. You can download
it for free via the Apple Store
or Google Play. You’ll find
the full festival schedule, festival
map and stages, and you can
receive push notifications for any
urgent announcements.
Booze and food
Surprisingly, Coachella isn’t a
‘drinker’s festival’. There are several
alcohol areas but they’re cornered
off. You’ll need a wristband to
access these areas, and you can
only receive one once you’ve
showed your ID at the various
ID-checkpoints. Don’t forget,
US law states you need to be
21-plus to consume alcohol. You’ll
spend time queuing in lines in the
designated alcohol areas and you
also can’t bring your drinks out of
these areas. Drinks on offer include
beer and bubbly, but expect to pay
a minimum of $10 (about R150)
per drink.
The food at Coachella caters
for all diets (vegans included),
and only the best vendors from the
LA food scene set up shop. From
dim sum to poke bowls, there’s
somethingforeveryone.
UBER x
Coachella
Something really cool that we
discovered was the Uber Lot.
Coachella partnered up with
Uber to create a system that’svery
different to what we’re used toin
SA. It’s a really effective wayfor
the festival to navigate large
crowds and increased Uber
requests, ultimately reducing
long waiting periods.
How it works
It’s a first-come, first-
serve arrangement.
(^1) Request a ride at the Uber
Lot. If your battery’s running
low, don’t stress. You’ll find
chargingstationshere,aswell
ascleantoilets!
(^2) Once you’ve requested
a ride,you’llreceivea unique
identificationcodeviatheapp.
(^3) Next,standin lineand
waityourturnto pickanUber.
(^4) Once you’re in an Uber, the
driver will scan the identification
code that you received, verifying
you as an Uber passenger
and providing them with
your final destination.
Getting around
Palm Springs is a relatively small
resort city, which makes travelling
a lot easier. Uber is probably
the safest form of transport to use
during Coachella.
Getting to the festival:
La Serena Villas to Coachella
Uber Lot: $40 (about R595) for
a single trip, however, price
surges may affect this.
Getting into the festival:
+/- 15-minute walk. It’s quite
a distance getting to the
main entrance, so comfortable
shoes, like sneakers or
Crocs, are key (we chose
to wear Crocs).
Getting back
to the Uber Lot:
Do so on foot or via motorised
bikes – consider this the more
boujee option. A single ride
to the entrance of Coachella
will cost you $20 (about R300)
but with exhausted feet and the
dusty Palm Springs wind, it might
be worth splitting this fee with
your friends. Also, the drivers
play some banging playlists
during your ride to keep you
hyped up.
Where
to snap
Didyoueven
attendCoachella
if youdidn’t
havea pic
in front
of themassive
Ferriswheel?
Therearealso
amazingart
installationsthat
areperfectfor
the’Gram.
Thisyear’s
artincluded
a larger-than-
lifeastronaut
anda seven-
storey‘spectrum
of colour’.
Zipho in an
eye-catching,
all-silver
ensemble
120
COSMOPOLITAN.CO.ZA | SEPTEMBER 2019
The gigantic
a s t r o n a u t
sculpture