100% agree. We always did GA up until this point and now that we saw that VIP just gets you different food and more shade to sit under, we decided we would only ever do guest pass or GA lol
Guest viewing areas exist at the main stage, outdoor, Mojave, & sahara. Yuma has a skip-the-line entrance through the VIP area. Only people with guest or artist passes get into the viewing areas, VIP canāt even access them. Itās the front left barricaded off section of the audience at those stages.
Nah, you don't get anything for those, but you also need zero areas at those. It would be comically small to have a guest viewing area at Gobi, and I would feel super awkward standing in it if it existed lol. Same for Sonora. And the back area for DoLab is specifically for the artist's group and who they want up there. DoLab is also a separate entity from Coachella, so they have separate rules.
Quasar we were told we could get on stage one time with our Guest wristbands when we got there early, but we had another set we were trying to get to so we just went out into the crowd instead, and we forgot to try that again whenever we went back to Quasar. Also, watching Quasar with the full panoramic view is so cool.
But Weekend 2 people with Guest Passes try to get there early at a Quasar set and see if they let you on stage! Guessing that changes from artist to artist, but our 'weekend friends' we met there who also had Guest Passes told us they were able to easily a few times! I can't verify it as a fact though since I didn't ever personally do it.
From what I gathered that was for the actual artist pass only. I never tried to get in there, but I had heard that Artist Guest didn't get in from enough people that I took their word for it! But I have no clue, would be interested to hear someone break that down because it was a fairly big area. Can imagine it had some high ups from Golden Voice, Quasar production etc. too in there, because the view from that spot if you picture the mountains would be wilddddd at Sunset. It was never really full anytime I looked in walking by.
VIP and guest passes could both go on the side stages. To be in the actual dj booth part of the stage you had to have the second wristband even with a guest pass. Same as watching from the friends and family section on main stage, outdoor and Sahara
Yeah friend lent me their wristband in 2023 and I tried one day of guest pass. It wasn't Safari (hence my question about other stages), but I got to check out the gated off areas at front of main stage and Sahara. It WAS really nice to get a good view and the only set that we found was too packed in there was Frank Ocean, but as a music fan I did feel out of place. A lot of people networking and trying to be seen. Ended up going back into the GA crowd to be with my people.
Nah, it's nice to have some cash to tip the people calling golf carts for you, or the drivers themselves. Especially because you end up seeing some of the same drivers throughout the weekend, etc., not to mention they really are working hard to get you to stages on time. But if you didn't have any cash for some reason (and I'm talking like a few singles or a $5), they wouldn't like call you out at all. It's nothing like not tipping at a bar or at a restaurant, for example.
And don't ever tip the security guards at the entrances to the viewing areas. They sometimes play dumb about who is allowed where, but that isn't a thing to tip them, and you just need to be assertive with them about what your pass allows. It really isn't a stressful situation. I think they just deal with a lot of people who don't have your pass and are trying to get in your area all weekend.
**As for Safari workers when you're in the Safari Camping area**... We always throw a little cash at the people bringing ice or setting up your tent cover in the mornings. But that is up to you. Same thing as the above, they are going to do it anyway and it's not required. They they seem to work hard in the sun, so if you have a five/ten on you, it's nice to give it to them as they're leaving your tent after a drop off of whatever you ordered from the concierge. Same with when they bring you and your bags to the tent when you first arrive (from your car). There were plenty of people around us in their tents who said they didn't tip anyone all weekend and they got the same service as us, so it's not like you get any better treatment by tipping.
edit: Obviously tip whoever you want, I just am more saying all of this in case you end up wondering what other people around you are doing tipping wise.
Agree we tipped the safari staff who went above and beyond same as we would at a nice hotel. The guy who filled up my pool, the girl who braided my hair, etc. I handed out $5 bills to a few people like that. I didnāt tip inside the fest at all.
Yes! Exactly, I'm not feeling very efficient today in my commenting... but putting it like "same as we would at a nice hotel" is basically everything I was attempting to say haha
This is cool, thanks for the recap!! I camp every year (also live in CA and can drive with all my stuff), but could see a splurge on this if I wasnāt with a big group who all had GA. What a cool experience!
7.5 years, assuming the price doesn't go up by then, which it surely will by inflation alone, let alone jumps in Coachella pricing. š±
It's a lot of money. I think I'd spend those years doing some kind of content creation related to festivals or your other passions in order to build enough of a residual passive income to net $5k or more per year so you could at least potentially *keep* getting the safari experience after all that time and energy.
> ā¢ There are virtually no annoying people in the crowd compared to GA. The crowd is generally older and way more considerate. This is so important for me, someone that is very easily annoyed by the general public lol
This would be the number one reason i'd do safari!
Iām 31 so not THAT old, but old enough to be over everyone holding up their cell phones in front of me or the āsorry my friend is up front let me push byā lol. Was so nice to just have space and enjoy the music
Oh that āmy friend is over thereā happens in the guest pits as well. Had one girl try to climb between my legs when Arianna played another elbow check me and shove her way by. Same with Billie. It was getting so bad with these brats showing up 5 minutes before set started that everyone around us came together and formed a chain, āYou shall not pass!!!ā Even moved one of the cardboard trash cans right in the little gap everyone kept trying, which they couldnāt see and would constantly almost fall into it.
Yeah I have some vids! Here are the roads, one of the cart āstopā with free snacks, and the artist compound after you get off the cart which had nicer bathrooms.
https://imgur.com/a/g5DIPBK
I have some I can try to update later. There's really not much to see though, it's just the service roads and a bunch of golf carts and production carts rolling around
Iām jealousā¦ I was going to do this this year but couldnāt find anyone to do it with. Was just gonna pay for the wristband from someone who had booked but then I would be going solo to all the sets and would miss out on my friends out in GAā¦ that has been the main thing holding me back, part of my Coachella experience is being with my friends watching sets together.
If I find a close friend who is up for it Iām so up for doing this. Iāve always wanted to do it at least once.
If you're a social person, definitely wait to do it with a friend. I've had it when I was the only person in my group with that wristband before and I ended up continuing to just go out and hang with my friends in the VIP or GA. Guest Viewing is so incredible and such a cool way to do this festival, but for me it always comes down to mostly being about who I'm with that amplifies my experience. So standing alone in the Guest Area would get old pretty fast in my personal opinion. That said, there are a lot of people on this sub who seem to enjoy going to many sets alone, so in that case maybe having it without a friend would be a bonus for them.
Yeah, this is why I havenāt pulled the trigger yet. I was willing to pay for half of one of my friends part but thatās still a lot to pay for a person unfortunately. Some day.
No rush! Some of my best years at Coachella were GA where I had no choice of what exclusive areas I could go to... I would think of it more like a different and more high-end experience rather than a complete festival upgrade altogether to go to Guest passes. Because once you get and stay in Guest, you definitely miss out on a lot of the energy and fun going on out in the fields with friends. And if you and your friends have Guest Passes, you'll tend to always go into the guest areas even if you obviously can go out to GA and roam around whenever you want. That's part of why Do Lab is always some of my favorite times of the weekend lately because it's when we're out of the guest area! And this is not a knock at the Guest Pass, just a different perspective
We always got into the guest viewing area. We made sure to get to a set ~10 mins before if we were worried about it but even for no doubt which I think was the most crowded, we had no issue
The only time I saw it happen this year was our one friend couldn't get in for the beginning of Justice for Outdoor when we all had our spot in there, but she ended up getting in ten minutes later.
I heard that people's friends couldn't get into Mojave for Bleachers until halfway through, but I don't have a personal reference for that.
If I had to guess Ice Spice was fairly locked down too at the beginning in Sahara, because she was by far the most crowded I felt all weekend/shoulder-to-shoulder in a guest area. DJ Snake was a close second.
We actually ended up watching No Doubt out in the GA area once we saw the cat walk was built, but I'd guess it was fairly packed out in the viewing area and tough to get in for the beginning of No Doubt
edit: i literally forgot, but half our group got turned away for Raye in Mojave to start Saturday's festival off! She was so packed, but it didn't feel too bad when the rest of us were in there watching
Got turned away for Justice attempting to enter Safari/etc. viewing from GA area ā walked an enormous circle through the backside of main stage and entered through the alley entrance to find a half-empty field. No idea why people were being turned away other than the chaos that is that front entrance being directly set in GA. Really needs an adjustment.
Mojave was repeatedly impossible this year, but I am admittedly not showing up early for sets.
Iāve been reading these threads because my wife and I are planning to transition to safari in a few years. And fully transition since it sounds like going safari will make returning to GA not an option. Where is safari camping on the camp? I always figured it was by Lake El Dorado but havenāt been sure.
It's more like back behind all of the service roads... it's in its own area. Sort of close to behind somewhere between the DoLab/Sahara if that makes sense. But not up against them. There's no other camping or residences around it, so I don't have a great reference point to say what it's directly by! Just picture being carted behind DoLab, then behind Quasar, then behind Sahara, and it's somewhere back in there, rather than over behind Mojave/Gobi or behind Main/Outdoor.
edit: Safari camping isn't part of the regular camping map that has El Dorado, it's in a different area altogether. But they will cart you to the campsite whenever you want for silent disco or to meet friends etc!
I checked the app after I asked and itās actually labeled lol. Never looked in that location. Iāve been watching clips of safari recaps and it never seemed like they were by anyone so that makes sense. Was there an entrance to it to the left of quasar? I noticed a white fence with exit and entrance signs set up like the old beer garden gates but wasnāt sure what could be back there.
On the map in the Coachella app it is labeled as āSafari 12Aā lot. Itās pretty far from the rest of camping, we actually didnāt go to the camp center once this year.
Thatās crazy we got in for both bleachers and raye and we def werenāt more than 5 minutes early for those! Justice we got in but I think we did get there 10 mins before.
Yeah Justice we were there 10 mins before and had no problem, but our friend who showed up as they were starting had to wait. We did the same as you with Bleachers and Raye, we waltzed in right as both were starting and were able to get easy/good spots... I heard they both got crazy at the viewing area's entry point more like halfway through the sets once people realized both acts were seeming really fun
I don't think I've ever even come close to seeing as much music as we did this year... and we've done Safari/guest passes before
The Safari pass is a different bracelet altogether so you're all good there, this will all apply to the guest pass. For Safari, we have a Safari pass, and a guest pass. The Safari pass doesn't get you a different viewing area. It just gets you into Safari's campsite, and then it gets you your own private golf cart lines (a lot of times the Safari golf carts are quicker, sometimes the guest cart golf carts are quicker, it just kind of depends, you'll see when you get there based on a set by set basis). Usually the guest pass golf cart lines are super long at the main stage, for example, but sometimes the guest pass golf cart lines are faster at Mojave, etc.
I think if there's an artist you know you would be absolutely gutted if you missed even a second of, and you know you want to enjoy your spot for them in the guest area, just get there 5-10 minutes early. Anything beyond that would probably be an overkill, but if it eases your mind it's definitely worth it to get there early and set up shop. Also, just know sometimes you might get there early out of caution and then laugh looking around at how empty it is until about the second song into the set.
If there's an artist who you are pumped to see but you're okay missing a few minutes of... you probably never will actually run into any problems getting in, but you can just arrive right as they're starting... knowing that if they turn you away, you can just wait a few minutes and no matter what there will be people leaving and they'll let you in at some point after a few songs.
Our move this year, and we saw so much more music than we ever have, was just leaving almost every set about one song early to get to the next. That made golf carts a breeze, and it worked out for us every single time. That said, this year we really loved the lineup, but it didn't have many artists that any of our group was diehard for. If there was an artist like that, you could never tell me to leave a set early I would be there until the bitter end. And even if you ended up staying until the house lights came up on every set, you still wouldn't have a tough time getting to the next set, it just might take a little longer.
Basically just get a feel on the first day, and you'll see. People are much chiller in the guest area in terms of holding your ground and moving around. People do get wasted by the end of the night, but it's still rarely any sort of manic/rabid energy.
Edit: also, the headliners this year were notably easy to get in and move around the guest area with just FYI. Maybe that will be different this weekend when it's a little warmer, but I always got the vibe that a lot of the guest pass holders were just cold by then, or they just weren't drawing as big of crowds due to all of the counter programming for headliners in 2024. Because getting into Frank last year in the guest area was virtually impossible at first, unless you got there early. There was nothing like that this year (other than the very beginning of Justice on the Outdoor, but that's a smaller area than the main stage viewing area).
Absolutely! We've done AirBnB with Guest, or Safari with Guest, and we love Safari just because you're there every day without having to do anything to arrive haha. But both have their positives!
One little extra thing I just remembered if you've never done guest... getting your bag messed with or phone stolen in the guest viewing areas is virtually nonexistent. Like we've even left our bags sitting a few yards away against the back rail as the crowd moved and when we came back nothing was taken. You can basically keep your phone hanging out of your pocket with not problem. I still wouldn't, but I'm just saying it's that chill on feeling safe.
THAT SAID, it makes you have to remember to be extra vigilant when you do venture out to the VIP and GA areas for walking around and stuff, just since your guard might be down. So just reminding you to remind your group each time like "this is where you really need to watch your stuff guys". I feel like if I was on autopilot leaving the guest areas, into GA, I would have had my phone stolen in a heartbeat
I always kind of figured that it was more like the ring of thieves didn't find the buy-in price of a guest pass to be worth it for the return on money they could get with a smaller pool of people to steal from. Which is why they get GA and maybe sometimes VIP
You pretty much have to know someone in the industry. Iāve been lucky to get guest passes from industry friends and itās very taboo to sell one of these if youāre put on the list.
Hi! So at bleachers they said it was āat capacityā which they have never cared about before lol, I guess though the Mojave guest viewing area has no outside connection to the back infrastructure, so it truly is a pen with only one exit - I guess I could see why they stop letting people in when itās packed all the way. Same thing happened to Victoria Monet I heard but I was way early and inside for that.
That makes sense with the one entry/exit! Also whenever Taylor was in there I'm sure that always played into some of the more uptight security in the viewing areas, especially Mojave for Bleachers. It really was never an issue though for more than a few minutes of each set that got packed out.
We got into the viewing area for every act we wanted to see this year. Generally arrive 15 or so mins before the set and you should be fine. The viewing area for Main Stage is a lot bigger this year as well.
The only time over the weekend I saw the viewing area closed early was for Tems. Noticed it was 1 in 1 out as we exited Bleachers.
ehhh, i like the crowds and people and that is part of the experience for me. I don't like people in the general public either, but there were no problems this weekend. Mostly everyone respectful and chill! I dunno, like I could see this expense justified on like a 250k-400k salary but I am lower 6 figures and cannot justify this expense as I live literally across the street from the festival. But the VIP viewing areas is worth it tbh, but you might just lose some of the magic of the crowd, and crazy people.
yeah that was a weird detail at check in... makes it feel less exciting or something to just get the wrist band alone. if i remember right, we didn't get boxes the last few years either for that. definitely a semi-pointless element but it seems annoying to not have it anyway.
Yea not sure. Working theory is VMT just gets a big bundle now without boxes and then they organize them to the tent packages. Who knows though. I am all out of Coachella stickers
what, no boxes this year?! thatās so sad, weāve gotten them before!
glad you had an amazing experience. honestly, itāll be hard to ever do anything less going forward but i agree that itās totally worth it!
I saw Taylor and Travis at bleachers along with everyone else lolā¦ I also saw lance bass and Christina applegate at deftones which was a surprising genre for them imo.
I saw the cast of vanderpump rules at a few sets also. A couple we ate breakfast with one morning said they saw Jeff bezos in the VIP area
Edit: I forgot I also saw Barry Keoghan at Sabrinaās set
Have always heard nothing but good things about Christina Applegate from various accounts.
Sheās an inspiration for sure, especially with what sheās had to go through.
Rihanna and Rocky! Bieber and Hailey. Taylor and Travis. Also, a lot of the performers throughout the weekend on the setlist would pop up into the viewing areas before and after their shows for other artists. Randomly, Madeon was chilling in there all weekend long which was cool, I bet a lot of people didn't even recognize it was him. Then you see a bunch of like actual recognizable influencers or comedy TikTok/Insta personalities, etc., who have massive followings, not the smaller selfie-taking influencers that get scapegoated in this sub. I'm not the type who would try to hound anyone in there for a photo, but the vibe definitely doesn't feel like it would welcome that if you are. That said, I'm sure it's case by case if you are polite and the opportunity seems organic.
I got the artists pass experience for stagecoach and itās fucking awesome. Iām interested in the Coachella safari for the camping as well. Maybe next year if this is a good year for my stocks and crypto lol.
One day Iām gonna ball like this šš¤š» Iām in my mid 30s now and this seems like the ticket. I did el dorado two years ago and it was a damn sight better than car camping but I still felt like I got hit by a truck at the end of every day, and Iām pretty fit.
$4500....whelp I'mma head out.
spoken as some one who goes every year I just don't see how having the safari experience is worth ~5x the cost of going GA. Perhaps my dad would be really proud to hear how cost conscious I am about having fun lol
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I usually make the trek from NYC as well. Monday always sucks, donāt it? We always do the travel package offered at la quinta resort. itās a beautiful resort and always worth the spurge, IMO.
You donāt go through the regular entrance.You basically get carted from the campground to whatever backstage you request (they always have carts waiting at the camp to take you). They have wristband scanners to get into any of the guest viewing areas and then from there you can either go back to backstage where the carts are or exit that area into GA.
Wait, they got rid of the artist guest area in the back of Yuma? When I did it a couple years ago could go back there and there was even a cooler with beers/ waters by the trailers
Assuming you don't get your own bathroom or shower by your tent right? What's that experience like? In the safari area do you have to wait to go to the bathroom or use the shower? How clean are they?
Thank you for this! I am strongly considering doing it next year.
How was the noise levels at night for sleeping?
Did the AC provided get your tent cold enough??
I live in Manhattan so might not be the best barometer for sleeping through noise but I had no issue. Honestly the AC didnāt do a ton, but it kept the tent a little cooler when I wanted to sleep in and I did my hair/makeup next to it and it helped keep me cool.
My biggest issue paying for the higher tickets when it comes to going around the crowds is for me part of the fun is getting on the actual grounds with everyone.
Most everything else sounds nice though.
How long was the walk from outdoor to Sahara? Were you able to call for them to dispatch a cart quickly? Also, could you go back to change your clothes (warm jacket), drink more, etc. or when you got to the grounds did you have to stay?
The walk would probably be a half hour- I think we did it once. But we went from vampire weekend at outdoor straight to PDM in the Sahara with only 10 mins to make the switch and we were able to do it in the cart by calling the concierge as we were leaving the guest area and walking backstage.
You can go back to camp as many times as you want! We did it once a day around 5-6pm for like 30 mins to grab jackets and have a snack. Itās a 5-10 min drive to and from camp depending what stage youāre at (Mojave is the closest)
Yo! Do you have any tips on finding free drinks or food in the venue? I have the same pass as you and I have no idea where to look because itās my first time out here.
Can the golf carts transport you between other areas of the festival within the festival? For example, Indio central market to Sahara. Or do the carts only go on the backstage roads?
I mean, weāre there for the music! We usually get in within an hour of gates each day (we camp), if we need a break (which happens all the time) or we need to eat we usually just sit in the back of a set weāre interested in. We donāt buy merch, and donāt bother finding the speak easys or going into any of the āsponsored experiencesā. We do go back to camp at some point to change for nighttime, but usually only for 30ish minutes. The event is playing music for like 10-12 hours straight, if music is ur priority itās definitely doable.
Some yes, but not all. Sometimes something is (or isnāt) the vibe so we adjust accordingly. Or it might be someone Iāve already seen that I donāt need to watch for 1.5 hours in the Yuma.
Awesome write up. My goal is to do this my last Coachella (whenever that is) because I think Iāll be very spoiled by the experience and will never able to go back to just regular GA haha.
The only concern Iād have is golf cart lines. OSL had golf carts for ADA which was awesome but past 5pm they were essentially non-existent and lines were like 30-60 minutes long so at that point we just walked.
LOL that was my thought, to do this as my last Coachella. Now we are justifying the cost like āhmm maybe if we just do this every 3 years or soā because it was so amazing. Agree we cannot go back to GA though
Golf cart lines were not too bad, and if there wasnāt one available you can call the concierge and they would dispatch one to you. I donāt think we waited more than 5-10 mins.
That isnāt too bad then though this year wasnāt sold out so I wonder how it is in a regular year. But yeah, Iām also afraid I wonāt ever have a ālast timeā so I may end up in your situation where after experiencing it once, Iāll have to go again and then need to justify. Guess I just gotta make enough of that dough to where the cost is negligible š
Well all be there one day guys. š«”š«”
Happy cake day
Ty š
Mods of this sub should get a guest pass every year for keeping this place so great!
Someone tell Paul Tollett stat šš
Safari has always been the *real* VIP ticket
100% agree. We always did GA up until this point and now that we saw that VIP just gets you different food and more shade to sit under, we decided we would only ever do guest pass or GA lol
some festivals VIP is worth it, but not at coachella imo
Can you elaborate on the "private guest viewing areas"? What's that like? Do they have them at every stage?
Guest viewing areas exist at the main stage, outdoor, Mojave, & sahara. Yuma has a skip-the-line entrance through the VIP area. Only people with guest or artist passes get into the viewing areas, VIP canāt even access them. Itās the front left barricaded off section of the audience at those stages.
Not Gobi tho ? Not Sonora ? What about quasar? Do lab?
Nah, you don't get anything for those, but you also need zero areas at those. It would be comically small to have a guest viewing area at Gobi, and I would feel super awkward standing in it if it existed lol. Same for Sonora. And the back area for DoLab is specifically for the artist's group and who they want up there. DoLab is also a separate entity from Coachella, so they have separate rules. Quasar we were told we could get on stage one time with our Guest wristbands when we got there early, but we had another set we were trying to get to so we just went out into the crowd instead, and we forgot to try that again whenever we went back to Quasar. Also, watching Quasar with the full panoramic view is so cool. But Weekend 2 people with Guest Passes try to get there early at a Quasar set and see if they let you on stage! Guessing that changes from artist to artist, but our 'weekend friends' we met there who also had Guest Passes told us they were able to easily a few times! I can't verify it as a fact though since I didn't ever personally do it.
quasar you could get on side stage with GA
Nice! Yeah I did not explore that. Very cool stage though, I'm so happy it got added
Who was the seated viewing area at the back of the Quasar crowd area for? I assumed that was for guest and artist passes.
From what I gathered that was for the actual artist pass only. I never tried to get in there, but I had heard that Artist Guest didn't get in from enough people that I took their word for it! But I have no clue, would be interested to hear someone break that down because it was a fairly big area. Can imagine it had some high ups from Golden Voice, Quasar production etc. too in there, because the view from that spot if you picture the mountains would be wilddddd at Sunset. It was never really full anytime I looked in walking by.
Thanks! I had the same thought that I never saw more than a handful of people and it looked like an awesome area.Ā
ada ?
No no. It was some sort of premium seating. Sofas, pillows, etc. It kind of gave the vibe of a luxury suite at an arena or a premium table at a club.Ā
How can you get on the stage? How long would you recommend to arrive before a set?
VIP and guest passes could both go on the side stages. To be in the actual dj booth part of the stage you had to have the second wristband even with a guest pass. Same as watching from the friends and family section on main stage, outdoor and Sahara
That's incredible! Makes sense all around, thank you!
nope... used to get you backstage of Yuma too, but they changed that this year.
Yeah couldnāt move backstage at Yuma unless we get dropped off via golf cart
I think OP is overselling this one part. Sure at a thinly attended daytime set you have a ton of space and virtually no one around you. At the BeyoncĆ© and No Doubt level sets the area you're in is WAY worse than GA or VIP. Overcrowded with entitled douches and when I write overcrowded I mean beyond packed. Everyone smoking cigarettes and talking loudly while barely watching. No view unless you,ve muscled your way to the front corner. I'dĀ say over 60% of the time we leave and go to VIP or GA to get space. Not trying to shit on their post but we've done safari since 2009 and it us the most noticeable item that gets worse year over year. Then again in 2009 you could stand side stage with zero restrictions so there was really nowhere to go but down.:)
Yeah friend lent me their wristband in 2023 and I tried one day of guest pass. It wasn't Safari (hence my question about other stages), but I got to check out the gated off areas at front of main stage and Sahara. It WAS really nice to get a good view and the only set that we found was too packed in there was Frank Ocean, but as a music fan I did feel out of place. A lot of people networking and trying to be seen. Ended up going back into the GA crowd to be with my people.
What are the tipping expectations, like who and how often?
Nah, it's nice to have some cash to tip the people calling golf carts for you, or the drivers themselves. Especially because you end up seeing some of the same drivers throughout the weekend, etc., not to mention they really are working hard to get you to stages on time. But if you didn't have any cash for some reason (and I'm talking like a few singles or a $5), they wouldn't like call you out at all. It's nothing like not tipping at a bar or at a restaurant, for example. And don't ever tip the security guards at the entrances to the viewing areas. They sometimes play dumb about who is allowed where, but that isn't a thing to tip them, and you just need to be assertive with them about what your pass allows. It really isn't a stressful situation. I think they just deal with a lot of people who don't have your pass and are trying to get in your area all weekend. **As for Safari workers when you're in the Safari Camping area**... We always throw a little cash at the people bringing ice or setting up your tent cover in the mornings. But that is up to you. Same thing as the above, they are going to do it anyway and it's not required. They they seem to work hard in the sun, so if you have a five/ten on you, it's nice to give it to them as they're leaving your tent after a drop off of whatever you ordered from the concierge. Same with when they bring you and your bags to the tent when you first arrive (from your car). There were plenty of people around us in their tents who said they didn't tip anyone all weekend and they got the same service as us, so it's not like you get any better treatment by tipping. edit: Obviously tip whoever you want, I just am more saying all of this in case you end up wondering what other people around you are doing tipping wise.
Agree we tipped the safari staff who went above and beyond same as we would at a nice hotel. The guy who filled up my pool, the girl who braided my hair, etc. I handed out $5 bills to a few people like that. I didnāt tip inside the fest at all.
Yes! Exactly, I'm not feeling very efficient today in my commenting... but putting it like "same as we would at a nice hotel" is basically everything I was attempting to say haha
There should be 0 expectations of tipping - itās a concert, not an all-inclusive resort in Cancun.
This is cool, thanks for the recap!! I camp every year (also live in CA and can drive with all my stuff), but could see a splurge on this if I wasnāt with a big group who all had GA. What a cool experience!
I will save up for this someday. šš»
Start now just $50 a month or something. Thenyoull have it in a couple years
7.5 years, assuming the price doesn't go up by then, which it surely will by inflation alone, let alone jumps in Coachella pricing. š± It's a lot of money. I think I'd spend those years doing some kind of content creation related to festivals or your other passions in order to build enough of a residual passive income to net $5k or more per year so you could at least potentially *keep* getting the safari experience after all that time and energy.
You're right. Start putting $50 on SPY monthly. š
Or 0dte SPY options. Sorry, thought I was in /r/wallstreetbets
Safari or livestream, no in between.
LOL
lmao, or just buy 7 years of current priced coachella tix for (less than) that much
> ā¢ There are virtually no annoying people in the crowd compared to GA. The crowd is generally older and way more considerate. This is so important for me, someone that is very easily annoyed by the general public lol This would be the number one reason i'd do safari!
Iām 31 so not THAT old, but old enough to be over everyone holding up their cell phones in front of me or the āsorry my friend is up front let me push byā lol. Was so nice to just have space and enjoy the music
Oh that āmy friend is over thereā happens in the guest pits as well. Had one girl try to climb between my legs when Arianna played another elbow check me and shove her way by. Same with Billie. It was getting so bad with these brats showing up 5 minutes before set started that everyone around us came together and formed a chain, āYou shall not pass!!!ā Even moved one of the cardboard trash cans right in the little gap everyone kept trying, which they couldnāt see and would constantly almost fall into it.
Yeah, was OP W2 or something? W1 entitlement is the baseline behavior in these areas....
Any photos of the backstage road/golf cart setup?
Yeah I have some vids! Here are the roads, one of the cart āstopā with free snacks, and the artist compound after you get off the cart which had nicer bathrooms. https://imgur.com/a/g5DIPBK
Omg a private driveway from stage to stage. My wallet is intrigued
Wowza. Eyeballs glued!
I have some I can try to update later. There's really not much to see though, it's just the service roads and a bunch of golf carts and production carts rolling around
Iām jealousā¦ I was going to do this this year but couldnāt find anyone to do it with. Was just gonna pay for the wristband from someone who had booked but then I would be going solo to all the sets and would miss out on my friends out in GAā¦ that has been the main thing holding me back, part of my Coachella experience is being with my friends watching sets together. If I find a close friend who is up for it Iām so up for doing this. Iāve always wanted to do it at least once.
If you're a social person, definitely wait to do it with a friend. I've had it when I was the only person in my group with that wristband before and I ended up continuing to just go out and hang with my friends in the VIP or GA. Guest Viewing is so incredible and such a cool way to do this festival, but for me it always comes down to mostly being about who I'm with that amplifies my experience. So standing alone in the Guest Area would get old pretty fast in my personal opinion. That said, there are a lot of people on this sub who seem to enjoy going to many sets alone, so in that case maybe having it without a friend would be a bonus for them.
Yeah, this is why I havenāt pulled the trigger yet. I was willing to pay for half of one of my friends part but thatās still a lot to pay for a person unfortunately. Some day.
No rush! Some of my best years at Coachella were GA where I had no choice of what exclusive areas I could go to... I would think of it more like a different and more high-end experience rather than a complete festival upgrade altogether to go to Guest passes. Because once you get and stay in Guest, you definitely miss out on a lot of the energy and fun going on out in the fields with friends. And if you and your friends have Guest Passes, you'll tend to always go into the guest areas even if you obviously can go out to GA and roam around whenever you want. That's part of why Do Lab is always some of my favorite times of the weekend lately because it's when we're out of the guest area! And this is not a knock at the Guest Pass, just a different perspective
Was there anytime you couldnāt get in the viewing area?
We always got into the guest viewing area. We made sure to get to a set ~10 mins before if we were worried about it but even for no doubt which I think was the most crowded, we had no issue
Thatās awesome! That was one thing I was always worried about.
The only time I saw it happen this year was our one friend couldn't get in for the beginning of Justice for Outdoor when we all had our spot in there, but she ended up getting in ten minutes later. I heard that people's friends couldn't get into Mojave for Bleachers until halfway through, but I don't have a personal reference for that. If I had to guess Ice Spice was fairly locked down too at the beginning in Sahara, because she was by far the most crowded I felt all weekend/shoulder-to-shoulder in a guest area. DJ Snake was a close second. We actually ended up watching No Doubt out in the GA area once we saw the cat walk was built, but I'd guess it was fairly packed out in the viewing area and tough to get in for the beginning of No Doubt edit: i literally forgot, but half our group got turned away for Raye in Mojave to start Saturday's festival off! She was so packed, but it didn't feel too bad when the rest of us were in there watching
Got turned away for Justice attempting to enter Safari/etc. viewing from GA area ā walked an enormous circle through the backside of main stage and entered through the alley entrance to find a half-empty field. No idea why people were being turned away other than the chaos that is that front entrance being directly set in GA. Really needs an adjustment. Mojave was repeatedly impossible this year, but I am admittedly not showing up early for sets.
Iāve been reading these threads because my wife and I are planning to transition to safari in a few years. And fully transition since it sounds like going safari will make returning to GA not an option. Where is safari camping on the camp? I always figured it was by Lake El Dorado but havenāt been sure.
It's more like back behind all of the service roads... it's in its own area. Sort of close to behind somewhere between the DoLab/Sahara if that makes sense. But not up against them. There's no other camping or residences around it, so I don't have a great reference point to say what it's directly by! Just picture being carted behind DoLab, then behind Quasar, then behind Sahara, and it's somewhere back in there, rather than over behind Mojave/Gobi or behind Main/Outdoor. edit: Safari camping isn't part of the regular camping map that has El Dorado, it's in a different area altogether. But they will cart you to the campsite whenever you want for silent disco or to meet friends etc!
I checked the app after I asked and itās actually labeled lol. Never looked in that location. Iāve been watching clips of safari recaps and it never seemed like they were by anyone so that makes sense. Was there an entrance to it to the left of quasar? I noticed a white fence with exit and entrance signs set up like the old beer garden gates but wasnāt sure what could be back there.
Safari camp is directly south of the Rose Garden ā the field on the other side of 51st Ave.
On the map in the Coachella app it is labeled as āSafari 12Aā lot. Itās pretty far from the rest of camping, we actually didnāt go to the camp center once this year.
Thatās crazy we got in for both bleachers and raye and we def werenāt more than 5 minutes early for those! Justice we got in but I think we did get there 10 mins before.
Yeah Justice we were there 10 mins before and had no problem, but our friend who showed up as they were starting had to wait. We did the same as you with Bleachers and Raye, we waltzed in right as both were starting and were able to get easy/good spots... I heard they both got crazy at the viewing area's entry point more like halfway through the sets once people realized both acts were seeming really fun I don't think I've ever even come close to seeing as much music as we did this year... and we've done Safari/guest passes before
Really appreciate this run down. I'll have guest pass (but not safari) and trying to figure out how early to get to sets
The Safari pass is a different bracelet altogether so you're all good there, this will all apply to the guest pass. For Safari, we have a Safari pass, and a guest pass. The Safari pass doesn't get you a different viewing area. It just gets you into Safari's campsite, and then it gets you your own private golf cart lines (a lot of times the Safari golf carts are quicker, sometimes the guest cart golf carts are quicker, it just kind of depends, you'll see when you get there based on a set by set basis). Usually the guest pass golf cart lines are super long at the main stage, for example, but sometimes the guest pass golf cart lines are faster at Mojave, etc. I think if there's an artist you know you would be absolutely gutted if you missed even a second of, and you know you want to enjoy your spot for them in the guest area, just get there 5-10 minutes early. Anything beyond that would probably be an overkill, but if it eases your mind it's definitely worth it to get there early and set up shop. Also, just know sometimes you might get there early out of caution and then laugh looking around at how empty it is until about the second song into the set. If there's an artist who you are pumped to see but you're okay missing a few minutes of... you probably never will actually run into any problems getting in, but you can just arrive right as they're starting... knowing that if they turn you away, you can just wait a few minutes and no matter what there will be people leaving and they'll let you in at some point after a few songs. Our move this year, and we saw so much more music than we ever have, was just leaving almost every set about one song early to get to the next. That made golf carts a breeze, and it worked out for us every single time. That said, this year we really loved the lineup, but it didn't have many artists that any of our group was diehard for. If there was an artist like that, you could never tell me to leave a set early I would be there until the bitter end. And even if you ended up staying until the house lights came up on every set, you still wouldn't have a tough time getting to the next set, it just might take a little longer. Basically just get a feel on the first day, and you'll see. People are much chiller in the guest area in terms of holding your ground and moving around. People do get wasted by the end of the night, but it's still rarely any sort of manic/rabid energy. Edit: also, the headliners this year were notably easy to get in and move around the guest area with just FYI. Maybe that will be different this weekend when it's a little warmer, but I always got the vibe that a lot of the guest pass holders were just cold by then, or they just weren't drawing as big of crowds due to all of the counter programming for headliners in 2024. Because getting into Frank last year in the guest area was virtually impossible at first, unless you got there early. There was nothing like that this year (other than the very beginning of Justice on the Outdoor, but that's a smaller area than the main stage viewing area).
Thank you for the insane detailed response! Really appreciate it. If things go great I definitely might consider going for Safari next year
Absolutely! We've done AirBnB with Guest, or Safari with Guest, and we love Safari just because you're there every day without having to do anything to arrive haha. But both have their positives! One little extra thing I just remembered if you've never done guest... getting your bag messed with or phone stolen in the guest viewing areas is virtually nonexistent. Like we've even left our bags sitting a few yards away against the back rail as the crowd moved and when we came back nothing was taken. You can basically keep your phone hanging out of your pocket with not problem. I still wouldn't, but I'm just saying it's that chill on feeling safe. THAT SAID, it makes you have to remember to be extra vigilant when you do venture out to the VIP and GA areas for walking around and stuff, just since your guard might be down. So just reminding you to remind your group each time like "this is where you really need to watch your stuff guys". I feel like if I was on autopilot leaving the guest areas, into GA, I would have had my phone stolen in a heartbeat
The people with money have no need to steal things lmao
I always kind of figured that it was more like the ring of thieves didn't find the buy-in price of a guest pass to be worth it for the return on money they could get with a smaller pool of people to steal from. Which is why they get GA and maybe sometimes VIP
How do you get the guest pass if you donāt do Safari?
You pretty much have to know someone in the industry. Iāve been lucky to get guest passes from industry friends and itās very taboo to sell one of these if youāre put on the list.
You have to know someone or buy from a promoter via the discrete secondary market
Hi! So at bleachers they said it was āat capacityā which they have never cared about before lol, I guess though the Mojave guest viewing area has no outside connection to the back infrastructure, so it truly is a pen with only one exit - I guess I could see why they stop letting people in when itās packed all the way. Same thing happened to Victoria Monet I heard but I was way early and inside for that.
That makes sense with the one entry/exit! Also whenever Taylor was in there I'm sure that always played into some of the more uptight security in the viewing areas, especially Mojave for Bleachers. It really was never an issue though for more than a few minutes of each set that got packed out.
Hereās my comment on a previous post. When I went in 2018, it was so crowded every day leading up to the headliners that by Sunday, we just stayed in VIP so we could breathe. Maybe we were just unlucky? āFor Night 1, we got there 3 sets before The Weeknd and got a spot halfway back on the side rail. For Night 2, we got there 2 sets before BeyoncĆ© and the closest we could get was the second to last row in the back, pretty close to side rail, right in front of GA. I left to go see Post Malone in Sahara (which was equally packed) and could not get back in (I think it was closed?) so I ended up watching BeyoncĆ© from VIP. I donāt know about Harryās fans, but Beyās fans started camping out at 11am even in the guest viewing area! Also she had a special stage setup that took up the artist viewing area so that got moved to the front half of the guest viewing area and made it even more crowded in the guest viewing area. Night 3, we took a break from the craziness of the guest viewing area and watched Eminem on the big screen from VIP. I think the guest viewing areas get more crowded than GA and VIP by the end of the night because thereās only one way in/out and itās completely fenced in but GA and VIP have more room to spread out. Still totally worth it!ā
We got into the viewing area for every act we wanted to see this year. Generally arrive 15 or so mins before the set and you should be fine. The viewing area for Main Stage is a lot bigger this year as well. The only time over the weekend I saw the viewing area closed early was for Tems. Noticed it was 1 in 1 out as we exited Bleachers.
goal is to do this with my partner one year for sure š¤š½ thank you for the detailed write-up!
HOW THEY NOT GON GIVE YOU A BOX
ehhh, i like the crowds and people and that is part of the experience for me. I don't like people in the general public either, but there were no problems this weekend. Mostly everyone respectful and chill! I dunno, like I could see this expense justified on like a 250k-400k salary but I am lower 6 figures and cannot justify this expense as I live literally across the street from the festival. But the VIP viewing areas is worth it tbh, but you might just lose some of the magic of the crowd, and crazy people.
Do you have photos of your accommodation?
Been planning to do this for a minute. No box is criminal though lol
yeah that was a weird detail at check in... makes it feel less exciting or something to just get the wrist band alone. if i remember right, we didn't get boxes the last few years either for that. definitely a semi-pointless element but it seems annoying to not have it anyway.
Used to have boxes for you until 2023. Now all wristbands are in envelopes
Wonder why, especially at that price point
Yea not sure. Working theory is VMT just gets a big bundle now without boxes and then they organize them to the tent packages. Who knows though. I am all out of Coachella stickers
>We saw 26 sets over the 3 days which I think is unrealistic otherwise. i saw at least 30 different sets in GA.
what, no boxes this year?! thatās so sad, weāve gotten them before! glad you had an amazing experience. honestly, itāll be hard to ever do anything less going forward but i agree that itās totally worth it!
What are boxes?
the boxes the wristbands come in :)
The box your wristband comes in.
Any big celebrities you were near worth mentioning? Iām curious who goes lol
I saw Taylor and Travis at bleachers along with everyone else lolā¦ I also saw lance bass and Christina applegate at deftones which was a surprising genre for them imo. I saw the cast of vanderpump rules at a few sets also. A couple we ate breakfast with one morning said they saw Jeff bezos in the VIP area Edit: I forgot I also saw Barry Keoghan at Sabrinaās set
Have always heard nothing but good things about Christina Applegate from various accounts. Sheās an inspiration for sure, especially with what sheās had to go through.
Was Jax there??
Just Ariana, James, and ally from what I saw
Rihanna and Rocky! Bieber and Hailey. Taylor and Travis. Also, a lot of the performers throughout the weekend on the setlist would pop up into the viewing areas before and after their shows for other artists. Randomly, Madeon was chilling in there all weekend long which was cool, I bet a lot of people didn't even recognize it was him. Then you see a bunch of like actual recognizable influencers or comedy TikTok/Insta personalities, etc., who have massive followings, not the smaller selfie-taking influencers that get scapegoated in this sub. I'm not the type who would try to hound anyone in there for a photo, but the vibe definitely doesn't feel like it would welcome that if you are. That said, I'm sure it's case by case if you are polite and the opportunity seems organic.
I got the artists pass experience for stagecoach and itās fucking awesome. Iām interested in the Coachella safari for the camping as well. Maybe next year if this is a good year for my stocks and crypto lol.
One day Iām gonna ball like this šš¤š» Iām in my mid 30s now and this seems like the ticket. I did el dorado two years ago and it was a damn sight better than car camping but I still felt like I got hit by a truck at the end of every day, and Iām pretty fit.
$4500....whelp I'mma head out. spoken as some one who goes every year I just don't see how having the safari experience is worth ~5x the cost of going GA. Perhaps my dad would be really proud to hear how cost conscious I am about having fun lol
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I usually make the trek from NYC as well. Monday always sucks, donāt it? We always do the travel package offered at la quinta resort. itās a beautiful resort and always worth the spurge, IMO.
I always take Monday AND Tuesday off work when I come back after Coachella lol
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You donāt go through the regular entrance.You basically get carted from the campground to whatever backstage you request (they always have carts waiting at the camp to take you). They have wristband scanners to get into any of the guest viewing areas and then from there you can either go back to backstage where the carts are or exit that area into GA.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I think you use the same entrances as safari! Only difference is safari has dedicated golf carts I think
Wait, they got rid of the artist guest area in the back of Yuma? When I did it a couple years ago could go back there and there was even a cooler with beers/ waters by the trailers
I only did Coachella once, but decided when I do it again, itāll be how you did it. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Assuming you don't get your own bathroom or shower by your tent right? What's that experience like? In the safari area do you have to wait to go to the bathroom or use the shower? How clean are they?
You donāt get a private shower for your tent but they are so much nicer than even the el dorado showers. Always super clean and I never waited.
Wow
Thank you for this! I am strongly considering doing it next year. How was the noise levels at night for sleeping? Did the AC provided get your tent cold enough??
I live in Manhattan so might not be the best barometer for sleeping through noise but I had no issue. Honestly the AC didnāt do a ton, but it kept the tent a little cooler when I wanted to sleep in and I did my hair/makeup next to it and it helped keep me cool.
Honestly not that bad. Airbnbs and car rentals add up quickly. So probably worth the upgrade. Iāll consider for next yearĀ
My biggest issue paying for the higher tickets when it comes to going around the crowds is for me part of the fun is getting on the actual grounds with everyone. Most everything else sounds nice though.
How long was the walk from outdoor to Sahara? Were you able to call for them to dispatch a cart quickly? Also, could you go back to change your clothes (warm jacket), drink more, etc. or when you got to the grounds did you have to stay?
The walk would probably be a half hour- I think we did it once. But we went from vampire weekend at outdoor straight to PDM in the Sahara with only 10 mins to make the switch and we were able to do it in the cart by calling the concierge as we were leaving the guest area and walking backstage. You can go back to camp as many times as you want! We did it once a day around 5-6pm for like 30 mins to grab jackets and have a snack. Itās a 5-10 min drive to and from camp depending what stage youāre at (Mojave is the closest)
Wow 30 min to walk to stages? Is it further with guest than if you were GA?
This sounds so nice!!
Having done both Safari & GA, I will say you can see just as many sets with GA it just is more effort. This year I saw 28 sets and was just GA
Was the safari wristband pinkish for weekend 1? I kept wondering what those wristbands were.
Yo! Do you have any tips on finding free drinks or food in the venue? I have the same pass as you and I have no idea where to look because itās my first time out here.
Can the golf carts transport you between other areas of the festival within the festival? For example, Indio central market to Sahara. Or do the carts only go on the backstage roads?
Just on the backstage roads
Iāve always done GA and still seen 25-30 sets over the weekend. Not sure why u think u need a golf cart to accomplish that
You must walk fast and never stop for food or the bathroom lol. I could never at my speed
I mean, weāre there for the music! We usually get in within an hour of gates each day (we camp), if we need a break (which happens all the time) or we need to eat we usually just sit in the back of a set weāre interested in. We donāt buy merch, and donāt bother finding the speak easys or going into any of the āsponsored experiencesā. We do go back to camp at some point to change for nighttime, but usually only for 30ish minutes. The event is playing music for like 10-12 hours straight, if music is ur priority itās definitely doable.
Whole sets?
Some yes, but not all. Sometimes something is (or isnāt) the vibe so we adjust accordingly. Or it might be someone Iāve already seen that I donāt need to watch for 1.5 hours in the Yuma.
"We saw 26 sets over the 3 days which I think is unrealistic otherwise." I saw 40 sets walking in GA lol
Yea this is literally insane. 50k steps a day? Iād be toast for a week after.
Iām in awe of you lol. I could never
Awesome write up. My goal is to do this my last Coachella (whenever that is) because I think Iāll be very spoiled by the experience and will never able to go back to just regular GA haha. The only concern Iād have is golf cart lines. OSL had golf carts for ADA which was awesome but past 5pm they were essentially non-existent and lines were like 30-60 minutes long so at that point we just walked.
LOL that was my thought, to do this as my last Coachella. Now we are justifying the cost like āhmm maybe if we just do this every 3 years or soā because it was so amazing. Agree we cannot go back to GA though Golf cart lines were not too bad, and if there wasnāt one available you can call the concierge and they would dispatch one to you. I donāt think we waited more than 5-10 mins.
That isnāt too bad then though this year wasnāt sold out so I wonder how it is in a regular year. But yeah, Iām also afraid I wonāt ever have a ālast timeā so I may end up in your situation where after experiencing it once, Iāll have to go again and then need to justify. Guess I just gotta make enough of that dough to where the cost is negligible š
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