The Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival

For almost a decade the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, known simply to the public as Coachella, has been one of the top music festivals in the world. Held annually in April, this festival is a popular one that attracts various top musical artists from all sorts of genres and all sorts of installation artists. It is so popular that disbanded musical groups will even reunite for a show at Coachella.

This annual festival takes place in Indio, California. This is located in the Coachella Valley part of the state, which is on the southern area. The closest major city to this place is Palm Springs, which is about twenty five miles to the west. Although it is widely regarded for its beauty it is also noted for its incredible heat. This area, which is not too far from the Colorado Desert, tends to have temperatures of more than a hundred degrees Fahrenheit for at least forty percent of the days in a year.

Coachella was first formed in 1999 as a major festival. Although a variety of notable artists performed at the first festival, including Beck, Tool and the Chemical Brothers, there was a ban against on site camping. Due to the lack of profit the festival was cancelled for 2000 but brought back in 2001 where it is still being held each year.

One of the unique things about this that sets it apart from other music festivals is its on site camping. Since 2002 people have been allowed to camp on a site next to the festival grounds.

This festival occurs over the course of three days in late April. This date is used because it is not as hot in Indio at this time as it would be in other times. Since Indio is below sea level it is vital to have the festival at a time outside of the hotter summer months.

Over the years a variety of artists from rock, hip hop and electronic music genres have played at this festival. In 2008 Prince and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters played at the festival. Madonna played in 2006 while Nine Inch Nails played in 2005.

Coachella is also home to various installation art performances. Notable installation artists who have brought their works to Coachella include Gerard Minakawa, Syd Klinge and Rosanna Scimecca.

This festival has been popular for reuniting groups as well. In 2001 Jane’s Addiction reunited and headlined Coachella. Rage Against the Machine, Crowded House and Portishead have reunited here too. Many non-American artists, including Daft Punk and Kraftwerk, have played here after not appearing in the country for years too.

Coachella is one of the top music festivals to check out. It is a festival to check out for its variety of artists and its unique location. For additional details on the festival and updates on the 2009 edition be sure to visit the festival’s website at Coachella.com.