With the 2024 Coachella Music Festival ending on April 21, students have shared their opinions regarding the event. With headliners like Tyler, the Creator, Lana Del Rey and Doja Cat, this year's festival was full of great performances from artists who are in demand.

In recent years, Coachella appears to have lost some shine with the public. A popular Reddit thread titled “Is it just me or is this the worst reaction Coachella has ever?” cites issues with lineups and ticket costs. Plus, other festivals like Rolling Loud and Dreamville have generated new buzz, rivaling Coachella.

Tabitha Johnson, a junior Communication Studies major said, “Coachella isn’t as hyped up as it used to be anymore.” Other festivals have generated more popularity in recent years. “I’d rather go to Rolling Loud, it has great artists and it also isn’t as expensive,” said Johnson.

Junior Communication Studies major Leya Alom said, “[Coachella] General Admission for the whole weekend starts at $500 while Rolling Loud is only $300.” Alom said the overall expenses for Coachella are far more than other festivals which are not only cheaper but closer to urban areas.

Johnson said, “Looking back at headliners like Drake [2015] and Travis Scott [2017], Coachella was in its prime.”

“Dreamville had headliners like Nicki Minaj and Sza who I could see for the fraction of Coachella prices,” said Alom. “I think the experience might be worth it overall but why pay for more when there are just as great performances at other festivals,” said Johnson.

This year, Coachella sold only 80% of tickets by the time that the festival began. Billboard reports that this is a 14%-17% dip from the previous year.

Alom said, “I remember back in 2017 how popular Coachella was and how everyone wanted to go.” Alom said, “There was almost a sense of exclusivity when people went but I don’t feel like it’s the same as before.” In 2017 headliners like Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar helped the festival gross its highest income of $114 million. “I feel like most artists now profit more from their own tours rather than attending festivals,” Johnson said.

“I’ve been to Rolling Loud and it was an amazing experience,” Johnson said, “I didn’t have to spend an absurd amount on tickets in comparison to Coachella.” Coachella is still extremely popular but I think it’s become extremely overrated Johnson said.

Alom said, “I would love to go to Coachella but I think that any other festival like Lollapalooza would give me the same experience.”

Coachella is still recognized as the top music festival here in the U.S. with millions of people wanting to attend. Some turmoil regarding the festival has a lot to do with the overall cost of attendance and also a lack of performances from previous bigger artists. This year's festival has dismissed some of those thoughts however, the question still remains whether or not Coachella is still living up to the success it had years ago.

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