Music festivals are a celebrated occasion, especially festivals like Coachella, but increased pricing has caused some California Baptist University students to reconsider attending any festival.
The cost rose from $375 to $400 this year and some CBU students are concerned they do not know enough of the bands performing for the Coachella cost to be worth it.
General admission ticket price increased $25 from last year. Although some students say they have fears about dishing out this kind of money for a ticket, elevated prices have not stopped the festival from selling out. The public shows no signs of slowing down on buying tickets, despite the lack of many well-known artists.
“Calvin Harris would interest me, but all the rest are whatever,” said Marylou Fernandez, senior health science major. “I don’t think $400 is worth it.”
While the Coachella lineup for 2016 is filled with huge artists like LCD Soundsystem, Sia and Ellie Goulding, some believe it falls short in comparison to past years. A notable difference between the 2015 and 2016 lineups is the absence of a hip-hop or rap headliner. Coachella can be considered a colossal event for millennials, but they also draw in larger crowds of classic rock lovers with headliner Guns n’ Roses.
“I wouldn’t pay for Coachella because I feel like I could see artists I like one by one in Vegas or something for much less,” said Shelby Shultz, senior nursing student.
Goldenvoice, the promoter responsible for Coachella and Stagecoach, said they have plans to expand from three weekends to five over the next few years, with two events in the fall. The expansion plans have been written to extend the use of their current location through 2030 and would increase maximum occupancy from 75,000 people to 90,000.
The expansion comes at a cost and explains the ever-increasing ticket prices, but an addition of weekends will multiply the opportunity for more music fans to attend.
“Foresight and planning is a big portion of facilitating events,” said Corey Polk, director of conferences and events at CBU. “It’s trying to figure out the purpose of the event and what needs to be accomplished.”
Coachella will take place April 15-17 and April 22-24. It sold out within an hour of opening ticket sales to the general public, but many CBU students say they will be passing on the festival this year.
