The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first weekend will conclude today with a headlining performance by Scottish DJ, singer and songwriter Calvin Harris.
Harris previously played on the Coachella main stage in 2014, reportedly drawing the second largest crowd in the festival’s history, second only to Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur’s hologram.
Harris is fresh off three Brit Award nominations for Best British Male Solo Artist, Best British Single and Best British Video.
He is set to take the stage at 10:30 p.m.
Other notable Sunday acts include singer Sia, who will take the main stage prior to Harris.
On Saturday, a 2 1/2 hour set by a revitalized Guns N’ Roses, with guest performer Angus Young of AC/DC, capped Day 2 of the festival, which continues next weekend. It was a day that also saw performances by a reunited N.W.A., sans Dr. Dre, and hip hop duo Run the Jewels, who were introduced via video by presidential contender Bernie Sanders.
Other performers included the group Disclosure, joined by singers Lorde and Sam Smith, and blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr.
Coachella wouldn’t be complete without celebrity sightings. Amid Saturday’s heat and wind, Academy Award winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jared Leto mingled in a crowd that also included Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift, Josh Hutcherson, Cindy Crawford, Katy Perry with Orlando Bloom and Aaron Paul, among many others.
Meanwhile, a few of the festival’s listed acts have been forced to back out at the last minute.
U.K. band Lush, was set to perform on the Gobi stage at 4:35 p.m. Saturday, cancelled their appearance due to Visa issues Friday.
The same went for U.K rapper Skepta, who was going to perform Friday at 1:40 p.m. and DJ Sasha, who was set to perform at 8 p.m. Friday before canceling due to “a personal medical emergency” according to the festival’s Twitter account.
In addition to music, the festival features the works of an array of international artists, more than matching the lavish and gigantic installations of years past.
Artworks include those of Cuban-born Alexandre Arrechea, whose “Katrina Chairs” sculptures present a New Orleans cityscape propped on enormous yellow chairs, Argentina-based R&R studio’s “Besame Mucho” flower sculpture and works from recurring acts like Do Lab and Phillip K. Smith III, who has dazzled past Coachella crowds with his monolithic, mirrored, LED-laden structures.
Local restaurants, bars, and a who’s who of renowned chefs are supplying food.
As the first weekend wraps up, roads are expected to be as packed as the polo grounds, and festival-goers and residents alike have been warned of traffic expected to clog local roads and freeways.
Caltrans recently warned motorists to avoid Interstate 10 if at all possible, particularly at the close of the weekend’s festivities tonight, and seek detours on other local highways such as state Route 62 and 74.
The Indio Police Department will offer traffic information through the weekend via Nixle.com. Callers who text COACHELLA to 888777 can receive traffic updates on their cell phones, as well as information regarding weather and safety.
Day parking will be available surrounding the venue off of Avenue 49, Avenue 52 and Madison Street. Car camping will also be allowed in designated areas off of Avenue 50, Avenue 51, and Madison Street. A taxi and Uber drop-off zone will be located at the corner of Avenue 49 and Monroe Street. A parent drop-off and pick-up zone will be at the corner of Avenue 52 and Madison Street.
Tickets priced at $399 sold out months ago, though a number of additional tickets have been made available for local residents only. Passes are available at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Box Office on April 20 and April 27 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Coachella only figures to get bigger in upcoming years thanks a recent Indio City Council vote, unanimously approving the expansion of the festival’s attendance cap from 99,000 to 125,000.
