Coachella is held in the California desert in April, which means preparing for a specific and demanding set of conditions. The heat is intense and dry. The sun at the Empire Polo Club is unrelenting from mid-morning onward. The temperature drops sharply after dark. The crowds are dense. And the festival has specific rules about what you can and cannot bring onto the grounds.
Getting your packing right for Coachella genuinely matters. First-timers who under-prepare spend a significant portion of their festival recovering from heat exhaustion, sunburn, dead phone batteries, or the discomfort of being cold in what they assumed would be a warm desert night. This guide covers everything you need and nothing you do not.
The Coachella Bag Policy
Before packing anything, know the rules. Coachella has a specific bag policy that is enforced at entry.
Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches. Small clutch bags up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches are permitted without the clear requirement. Standard backpacks that are not clear are not permitted on the festival grounds.
The clear bag policy means your packing strategy for the grounds specifically is different from your overall packing for the trip. Everything you carry during the day must fit in a clear bag and be visible to security staff.
Always check the current year’s bag policy on the official Coachella website before you go, as rules can change between years.
Desert Survival Essentials
These are not optional. They are the items that keep you functional and safe in the California desert in April.
Sunscreen
Apply a high-SPF broad-spectrum sunscreen before leaving your accommodation each morning and reapply in the afternoon. The Coachella Valley desert sun is strong enough to cause significant sunburn in under two hours of exposure. SPF 50 or higher. Bring enough for multiple days.
A facial sunscreen stick is worth having in your clear bag for reapplication during the day without the mess of lotion in a festival setting.
A wide-brim hat
The single most effective piece of sun protection available and the most consistently under-brought item by first-timers. A wide-brim hat that shades your face, neck, and ears significantly reduces your sun exposure over a full festival day and meaningfully reduces heat exhaustion risk. Straw hats, canvas bucket hats, and wide-brim felt hats all work. Baseball caps leave your neck and ears exposed.
Sunglasses
UV-blocking sunglasses with adequate coverage of the eye area. The California desert light in April is intense and squinting for eight hours causes significant eye fatigue and headaches that carry into the following day.
Water and hydration
Coachella has water refill stations throughout the grounds. Bring a reusable water bottle that holds at least one litre and refill it continuously throughout the day.
Electrolyte tablets or powder sachets that you can add to your water bottle are worth packing. The combination of heat, sweat, and continuous water intake without electrolyte replacement depletes sodium and causes hyponatremia — which produces headache, nausea, and in severe cases, serious medical issues. Adding electrolytes to your water periodically through the day prevents this.
Lip balm with SPF
Desert air is extremely dry and combined with sun exposure, your lips will crack and blister without protection. Apply regularly throughout the day.
Portable phone charger
Your phone battery will not survive a Coachella day without supplementation. The combination of photography, navigation, the Coachella app for schedule information, and general use drains a standard phone battery well before the headliner set begins. Bring a portable charger with enough capacity for at least one full recharge and keep it in your clear bag throughout the day.
Pain relief medication
Headaches from heat, noise, and dehydration are common at desert festivals. Having ibuprofen or your preferred pain relief in your bag prevents a minor discomfort from becoming a reason to leave early.
What to Wear
Daytime
The practical daytime Coachella outfit prioritises sun protection and heat management.
Tops: Loose, light-coloured fabrics that breathe well. Linen, light cotton, and moisture-wicking fabrics work better than dark colours and synthetic materials that trap heat.
Bottoms: Denim cutoffs are a Coachella classic and they work. Lightweight trousers in linen or cotton are equally practical and more comfortable over a long day.
Footwear: Comfortable, broken-in shoes or boots that you can walk in for eight hours. Sandals that expose the tops of your feet to the sun cause sunburn quickly — if you wear sandals, apply sunscreen to the tops of your feet.
The layer you will need: Bring something to wear after dark. The desert temperature in Coachella in April drops from the high 80s or 90s during the afternoon to the low 50s after midnight. A flannel shirt tied around your waist, a lightweight jacket, or a hoodie that goes in your bag during the day and comes out when the sun drops is essential. This is the item that first-timers most consistently forget and most consistently regret.
Nighttime
The Coachella headliner sets are evening and night performances. Bold colours, sequined or metallic elements, and the more expressive end of festival fashion all make sense at night when the production lighting works in their favour.
What to Pack for Camping
If you are camping at Coachella Car Camping or Rose Garden, your packing list extends beyond what you carry onto the grounds each day.
Tent: A freestanding, ventilated tent. The camping area can be hot in the morning before the festival winds pick up.
Sleeping bag: Rated for temperatures in the low 50s Fahrenheit. The desert night is genuinely cold.
Sleeping mat: For insulation from the ground and comfort.
Shade structure: A pop-up canopy over your campsite makes an enormous difference to daytime comfort. The camping area provides no natural shade.
Hard-sided cooler: Permitted in the camping area. Stocking it with food and drinks reduces reliance on expensive festival vendors and maintains hydration more easily.
Camp lighting: A lantern for your campsite and a headlamp for nighttime navigation between camp and the grounds.
What to Leave at Home
Aerosol cans of any kind are not permitted on the festival grounds.
Professional cameras with lenses above a specified length are not permitted. Check the current year’s camera policy on the Coachella website for the specific restriction.
Glass of any kind.
Chairs are not permitted on the main festival grounds.
Drones are strictly prohibited.
Expensive jewellery and irreplaceable items. Festivals are environments where things get lost and damaged. Leave anything whose loss would be distressing at home.
Day Bag Checklist
Everything you carry into the grounds must fit in your clear bag. Here is what belongs in it:
- Sunscreen (tube or stick)
- Lip balm with SPF
- Sunglasses in a soft case
- Portable phone charger and cable
- Cash and one payment card
- ID
- Electrolyte sachets or tablets
- Pain relief medication
- A light layer for the evening
- Earplugs
- Reusable water bottle
Practical Tips
Arrive at the grounds when they open. The morning hours are significantly cooler and less crowded than the afternoon. Food vendors have no queues. The art installations are accessible without crowd pressure.
Rest during the hottest hours. Spending time in a shaded area between roughly noon and 4pm conserves the energy and body temperature regulation that sustains you through the evening headliner sets.
The rideshare situation is chaotic at night. After headliner sets, tens of thousands of people simultaneously request rideshares. Wait times are long and surge pricing is significant. If you are camping on site, you do not have this problem.
The art installations are the underrated part of Coachella. The large-scale art works placed throughout the grounds are best experienced in the morning before crowds build, or after dark when the lighting transforms them.
Bring cash. Some vendors operate on cash only. Festival ATM queues are long and inconvenient.
FAQ
What size bag can I bring into Coachella?
Clear bags up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches are permitted. Small non-clear clutches up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches are also permitted. Standard backpacks that are not clear are not permitted. Check the Coachella website for the current year’s bag policy before attending.
Can I bring food and drink into Coachella?
Outside food and beverages are generally not permitted through the main festival entrance. Water refill stations are available throughout the grounds. Food and drink are available from festival vendors.
How cold does Coachella get at night?
Temperatures in the Coachella Valley in April typically drop from the high 80s to low 90s during the afternoon to the low 50s or occasionally upper 40s after midnight. Bring a warm layer regardless of how hot the afternoon forecast looks.
What should I do if I get too hot at Coachella?
Move to a shaded area immediately. Drink water with electrolytes. Cool your neck and wrists with water. If you feel dizzy, nauseous, or confused, seek the festival medical staff who are stationed throughout the grounds. Prevention through consistent hydration, sun protection, and rest during peak heat hours is significantly better than management after symptoms appear.
