I Went To Coachella For The First Time— Here Are My Biggest Takeaways

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, I was one of the several LA girls that headed out to the middle of the desert just to listen to Harry Styles and take Instagram pictures in outfits I probably will only be wearing once. However, this was my first year ever going to Coachella, so don’t judge me too harshly. For so long, I had always dreamed of going to Coachella, mostly because it was romanticized so much via social media. I had always seen celebrities dressing up in super cute outfits and looking like they were having the time of their lives. However, I quickly realized once I got there that Coachella was way different than what is portrayed on social media. Here are some of the biggest things I learned from my 3 days spent in the desert:

1. No one cares what you look like so stop comparing yourself to others

I know it sounds a little ridiculous, but I had spent over a month perfecting my Coachella outfits for each day. I wanted to wear things that were unique and also something that fit my own personal style. So, needless to say, I was excited when the day actually came that I had the chance to show off all my new clothes. I showed up to the festival as confident as ever, but I immediately started becoming insecure with my body and comparing myself to others. I would look at other people and instantly start judging myself for not looking the same way. It got even worse when I was taking pictures too. I would look back on all my pictures afterward and literally zoom in on myself just to make sure that my body looked a certain way. It felt like I was reverting back to all these negative thoughts about my body I used to have 24/7. I spent so much time in my own head about my body that sometimes I couldn’t be present and have fun during the actual performances. What I wish I could have told myself in those moments of feeling insecure about my body, is that no one was actually judging me but myself. You are your harshest critic. In reality, everyone is really just worried about how they look, and they’re probably not even paying attention to you, especially at a festival with thousands of people.

2. Coachella is basically an Instagram photoshoot backdrop

There are some people that are there for the music, but let’s be honest, the majority of the people at Coachella are really just there to take Instagram pictures to show their friends that they’re at Coachella. Everywhere I turned at any moment there were hundreds of people posing for pictures with their friends. Maybe that’s why they call it the “Influencer Olympics.” Even at the actual performances, people had their phones out and were recording the whole thing, myself included. My friends and I spent over an hour taking pictures every day, which was fun, but it also felt like no one was ever fully present. Part of the problem is that we feel like we have to capture every moment on social media. But it sucks us out of the present moment and makes us feel this compulsion to take a picture to prove to others that we’re “having fun.” Honestly, there were times when I was taking pictures, that my feet hurt like hell, I felt extremely insecure about my body, and I was about to cough up a lung from all the dust. But you probably couldn’t tell that from my Instagram posts where I looked happy and like I was having the time of my life. The times where I had the most fun, were when I disconnected from my phone and just danced with my friends. Sometimes we just need to put down our phones, not take any pictures, and just live in the moment. Pictures are great memories to have, but we don’t need to document every single second.

3. Be prepared for the crowds of people

If you haven’t already figured it out, I am an anxious person. Crowds of people normally aren’t my thing. Going to clubs with tons of people where I can barely move is my definition of hell. So, I had no idea what to expect when I was about to attend my first big music festival. I had been to Day N’ Vegas before, but there weren’t as many people, and I stood in the back for an easy exit. I knew the crowds were going to be large at Coachella, but I didn’t know how large. Tons of people flooded the entrance and my immediate thought was “this is going to be a long weekend.” However, I was determined to make the best of it. The only artist I really wanted to be somewhat close to was Harry Styles so my friends and I got there almost four hours early to secure where we were going to stand. The four hours before Harry were the longest 4 hours of my entire life. Okay, that may be a tad dramatic, but it was just not fun, especially for someone with crowd anxiety.

People would shove past my friends and me and we literally had no space to even move our arms. Three people even fainted right next to us, which was honestly pretty traumatizing. I tried to focus on my breathing, but it was hard when I literally had no personal space. However, what I found out was that all of the waiting was eventually worth it. Harry Styles was amazing (obviously) and I had so much fun. In those 90 minutes or so, I completely forgot about loads of people surrounding me and just tuned into the music. I learned I would never get that close again, unless it was One Direction, however, I also realized that I was capable of being in a crowd of people, if I just focused my mind on something else. If you are also someone who gets anxious in crowds, my biggest recommendation would be to bring some headphones or something and listen to music while your waiting for the artist to come out. Also, stand in the back so you have more room when it’s an artist that you don’t care about being so close to.

Coachella was definitely a learning experience for me. I probably won’t be back for a while, but overall, I’m still glad that I went. It made me reflect on some things that I could apply to my everyday life like not being on my phone all the time and also feeling more confident and at ease with being in crowds. See you all at Coachella 2023! Just kidding…maybe Coachella 2027 though.