Coachella experience: The Do Lab, pool parties and pricey beer
A culmination of two back-to-back weekends with dry heat, wind storms, neon colors, intense bass drops, ear-splitting guitar riffs, astronauts, robots (not the robots everyone had hoped for a.k.a. Daft Punk) and sunset backdrops were caught at Coachella Music and Arts Festival this year.
Even if you weren’t at the festival, you probably had an awesome weekend. But it was the people who forked over $375 a ticket, some even in the thousands for VIP, who really made memories for years to come. Whether it was camping, spending extra for a hotel or house nearby, Coachella became an uncontrollable flood of bodies as soon as the gates were opened.
Every year this desert oasis turns into the biggest party in all of the United States. Not only the Empire Polo Fields, but the hotel pool parties (the new Vegas pool parties) such as Desert Gold Ace Hotel, after-parties like Zero Gravity, Cosmic Stardust, Influential House, Neon Carnival and company after-parties individually hosted by H&M, Guess, Lacoste, Tilly’s and Dickies, including a yacht party by Filter Magazine, all of which would be teeming with celebrities and music industry leaders from all over the world. Not to mention the fans from across the globe flocking to catch a glimpse of the spectacular performers who have congregated to the desert to perform live.
In addition to a beer garden, Absolut Vodka had a tent set-up which was like a freezer inside. Drinks were a minimum of $11, but at least security let you through to keep your beer cold. On the other side of the garden, past Sahara, were restaurant pop-ups serving specialty food, craft food makers and spirits.
Because of the higher-than-normal volume of fans, The Do Lab was moved from the middle of the field, off to the side. However, the crowd was still touching shoulders and struggling to see their favorite artist on time. It seemed difficult to know where everything was, but if you were a native Coachellan, you knew to research ahead of time.
