The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2020 has been postponed due to growing coronavirus concerns. Instead of taking place in mid-April as originally planned, it will now be hosted in October for the first time since 1999.
However, the festival should be canceled altogether. The festival serves no purpose but to debilitate attendees’ brain cells with a plethora of drugs and alcohol. Ultimately, if being a follower was exemplified in a festival, it’d be Coachella.
Coachella is a glorified excuse to flaunt wealth. For a high price, you can get a less than mediocre experience. Attendees wander the hot desert festival grounds all day in an attempt to get overpriced food and drinks, all while inhaling dust. A respiratory infection is worth it if you get some great Instagram content, right?
For a festival that originated as an alternative new age gig, there sure is a lot of classism and elitism within the celebration nowadays. It’s ironic that the people who preach the most about things like equality and relatability are the ones furthest removed from the people at home watching live streams.
The main attraction of the festival to most attendees is the potential opportunity to come face to face with some of the world’s hottest celebrities. For the celebs, it’s just as much an excuse to say “Yeah, I was there,” as it is for general admission goers.
It’s funny to think that the VIPs can range from superstars like Beyoncé or Rihanna all the way down to internet influencers like David Dobrik or James Charles. It makes you question who exactly is paying a lot of money to be there versus who is being paid a lot of money to be at that same tier.
The music is anything you’d hear on your typical radio station, and the sets are more designed to flaunt artists’ wealth than they are to highlight their voices. Even in the rare cases where phenomenal artists happen to perform, the crowds are so large and oversold that it makes enjoying the moment nearly impossible.
Most of the controversy around Coachella stems from its history with fashion, specifically its ongoing cultural appropriation “trends.” Any given year, you’ll find plenty of people wearing items like dashikis, cornrows, bindis and headdresses for the sake of matching the “desert vibe.”
There’s also always the good Photoshop mishap from an influencer dressed in the tiniest amount of clothes possible. While it’s fun to catch, it makes you question the authenticity of internet personalities or anyone there at all.
As for the festival being moved to October for now, spectators can only imagine the ridiculous costumes being planned out this very moment. I’m personally putting a lot of money on space cowboys and bohemian witches. So long Voodoo fest, hello Coachella.
Gabrielle Martinez is a 19-year-old mass communication freshman from Gonzales, Louisiana.
