In 2017, I sold my faulty iPhone in order to have enough money to buy a Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival ticket. It worked. I went to Coachella and it was totally worth it.

April is the month of music festivals. Coachella and Stagecoach wrap up the month and have hundreds of thousands of attendees invading the Empire Polo Club Fields each year. So, is it worth the money? I’d say so—and here is why.

California Lutheran University junior Kaia Maudal said “Coachella is Coachella…$500 is a lot, but not that much for the experience… it is like a vacation and three days of concerts.”

The entire Coachella lineup consists of around 60 artists per day, with 180 in total. As someone who has attended Coachella five times, on average I saw around six performances a day.

It’s not difficult to justify how expensive the festival is when there are this many artists being bundled into one experience. Compared to prices for many of the artists’ own concerts, Coachella tickets are a steal.

The day three headliner this year is Ariana Grande. According to Forbes, Grande’s 2015 Honeymoon Tour average ticket price was $178.30. For $321.70 more at Coachella, you get to see two more headliners, Childish Gambino and Tame Impala. On top of that, artists like Rüfüs Du Sol, Kid Cudi, Billie Eilish, Khalid, Bad Bunny and Janelle Monáe will be there as well.

If you do the math, tickets come out to $166.67 a day for 60 performances. Assuming you see six, that comes to $41.50 for each performance. It doesn’t get much cheaper than this, unless you are trying to go see someone who is only known on SoundCloud. These A-list artists are some of the most popular people in the industry.

Coachella is an experience that can only truly be understood by someone who has experienced it for themselves. The good vibes, awesome tunes, sunshine, fashion, food and drinks and people who have traveled from all areas of the world are just a few of the reasons Coachella is incomparable, and a place where life-long memories are made.

McKenna King
Reporter