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Coachella FOMO 2018

Ever since I heard about the Coachella Music Festival, I’ve always wanted to go! The appeal of the festival is insane and with most hyped up experiences, sometimes that is all it is… a hype! People from all around the world hone in on the insane line-up and the serious FOMO after not attending yet another year!

The #OOTD posts across millions of festival-goers’ social pages are enough to send you into a whirlwind of FOMO that could have you mourning all year! The fact that the hottest acts of the year perform to millions of people on monstrous stages where artists like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and The Weekend perform, our very own Black Coffee and Goldfish performed this year and may I just say Well Freaking Done! That’s major!

Celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens, Justin Bieber, Kardashian/Jenner clan and every socialite around the world are flying across the world to attend. Everyone is basically chilling at the grounds with fans and other celebrities all there showing off their festival-type outfits, hair and makeup; everyone eager to take bomb photos for social media and well enjoy the music sensations tearing up the stage!

Half the people are apparently not even truly there for the music but more for the experience and the slight chance they might bump into one of their idols. I mean I certainly wouldn’t pass up an opportunity like that! Watching the many Coachella vlogs on YouTube, it has become apparent that there is a lot more than what meets the eye. But I guess that is with everything the media hypes us up to believe.

What you don’t know is that it is still separated in the general access, VIP, VVIP and so forth and everyone is hoping for a step up from whatever pass they have.

When you see your celebrity icons, it’s like a quick OMG and then you walk on, if you’re lucky you could maybe score a quick selfie and that’s of course if you’re in VVIP and get invited to the super exclusive festivals that happen at other locations in the dessert and at the actual festival. Most of the celebrities make candid appearances, listen to some of the performers and before you can even ask for a selfie, they’re already gone.

I’ve heard that apart from a ton of disappointment about the hype not being what it’s promised to be, it is also extremely expensive! and I’m not talking about R200 for a coffee… I’m talking like a normal-persons-life’s-savings kind of expensive!

Firstly, you must travel to the actual dessert of Empire Polo Club in Indio, California! For South Africans, you’re going to need a Passport, VISA, plane ticket to California, shuttle services and a few Ubers, accommodation, food and drinks. And that excludes the cost for your bomb outfits and your normal “vacation” expenses. Then when you get there, you must buy food and drinks and whatever passes you’ll need at the festival.

There is a whole situation with the Uber drivers and the safety aspect of sitting outside the festival for hours waiting to go home. There are thousands of people in attendance and the lines to EVERYTHING is quite possibly the longest ques you’d ever find yourself in, starting from the traffic just getting there initially.

With all that said, I still want to hit up at least one Coachella Festival before I’m too old that it’s just creepy. But if you think about it, it is probably just under R100K for a day of two. It’s absolute madness! How do I still get Coachella FOMO every year??

I think I might be crazy! What are your thoughts?