WHAT'S HOT
Why Did Coachella Campers Get Stuck in an Hours-Long Traffic Jam on Thursday?

Published
5 months agoon
By
Dave Brooks
Starting early Thursday morning (April 10), Coachella campers arriving a day early to set up their campsites and attend the festival’s first-ever Day Zero dance party took to social media to post troubling dispatches about long lines and a lack of bathrooms or shade as they waited for hours to get in. According to sources close to the festival, the likely culprits for the traffic jam were two small changes at the festival’s popular car camping ground.
The first change was that the campgrounds began letting people in on Thursday at 9 a.m. this year, which is later than in past years, according to sources and fans posting on social media. The second was the festival’s launch of a preferred campsite program for the campground closest to the festival entrance.
Related
As Concert Ticket Prices Soar, More Than Half of Coachella GA Attendees Are Buying Tickets Through…
04/10/2025
On its website, Coachella describes the Preferred Front Row Car campground as an upgraded experience where attendees can “arrive at your leisure in a guaranteed spot in the front row of the lot closest to the venue.” The cost for a preferred car campsite is $462.17, while the cost for a regular car campsite is $179.37.
Administering the new preferred campsite program, which replaced the traditional first-come, first-served system with a reservation-based system, took a little more time per camper to manage, sources tell Billboard — and that extra few minutes per camper quickly mushroomed into extra hours as the day wore on.
Slowing things down even more was that many diehard fans arrived as early as 2 a.m. to get first crack at the best campsites in the general camping area. On social media sites like Reddit and TikTok, some fans have claimed that Goldenvoice opened access to the camping area as early as 3 a.m., with many sharing tips on when to arrive; sources close to the festival say the festival sometimes opened as early as 6 a.m. The official entry time for the campgrounds in both 2024 and 2025 was listed as 9 a.m.
Whatever the case, the decision to open the campground no earlier than 9 a.m. this year created a large backlog of fans who had to wait hours to go through the festival’s check-in process, which often includes a security screening for all campers.
Related
A Complete Guide to Every 2025 Coachella Party & Event (Updating)
04/09/2025
The changes caused frustrating delays for fans as they waited in their cars for hours to get in, sitting in the hot desert sun with temperatures peaking at 100 degrees and no options for shade or public bathrooms.
There was a small silver lining to this year’s changes that many fans embraced. For the first time in Coachella’s 25-year history, organizers added a live performance on the opening Thursday of the festival, known in Coachella fan parlance as Zero Day. For some fans, the hours-long set by veteran electronic artist Chris Lake helped balance out the difficult start to the day.
“[The traffic jam] doesn’t take away from this,” one festival goer told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s in the past. We’re about to see the G.O.A.T. and we’re living in the present now. It’s all right.”
Dave Brooks
Source link

BIA, Young Miko – BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR (Official Music Video)

BigXthaPlug – Box Me Up feat. Jelly Roll (Official Music Video)

YG Kayboe – Rent Due (Official Music Video)

Black Fortune, Swaggyono – Weight On Me (Official Music Video)

Exclusive Interview with Christian K

Exclusive Interview with Christian K

Exclusive interview with Hefe OG

Faith & Fire: Lorenzo Holt, Jr. is Changing the Sound of Gospel Music

Exclusive Interview with Bassi Boss

Crucial Flamez: The Guyanese Flame Lighting Up South Florida’s Reggae-Hip Hop Scene

BIA, Young Miko – BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR (Official Music Video)

BigXthaPlug – Box Me Up feat. Jelly Roll (Official Music Video)

YG Kayboe – Rent Due (Official Music Video)

Black Fortune, Swaggyono – Weight On Me (Official Music Video)

Anycia – So Fine feat. Tink, DJ Drama (Official Music Video)
TRENDING


BIA, Young Miko – BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR (Official Music Video)
BIA x Young Miko – BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR (Official Music Video) “BIRTHDAY BEHAVIOR” available at: https://Bia.lnk.to/BIRTHDAYBEHAVIOR VERSE 1 Uh, uh me...


BigXthaPlug – Box Me Up feat. Jelly Roll (Official Music Video)
BigXthaPlug – Box Me Up feat. Jelly Roll (Official Music Video) 🔔 Subscribe to BigXthaPlug’s channel: https://bit.ly/3SLQimL I HOPE YOU’RE...


YG Kayboe – Rent Due (Official Music Video)
My Links: https://nxt.fan/yg-kayboe Listen on: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yg-kayboe/1233749969 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZESOQLaSPRdwhCegGryqW Follow YG Kayboe: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ygkayboe Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yg_kayboe #rentdue #ygkayboe #rentduechallenge...


Black Fortune, Swaggyono – Weight On Me (Official Music Video)
Black Fortune & Swaggyono – Weight On Me (Official Music Video) “Weight On Me” available at: https://blackfortune.lnk.to/WeightOnMe Follow Black Fortune:...


Exclusive Interview with Christian K
Today we linked up with Christian K for an exclusive interview: What is still your biggest challenge? My biggest...