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Mobile apps for live events are the ultimate secret weapon. For a festival as stupendous as Coachella, it can be a lifesaver having a mobile app downloaded and ready to go in your pocket (literally). Here at TBA, we’ve compiled a breakdown of everything you need to know about the Coachella mobile app, and how it can work in your favor throughout the festival.
Weekend 1 tickets to Coachella are already sold out on the primary market, though folks can still register for Weekend 2 presale at the official festival website. Miss out on buying passes completely? Check out our ticket-buying guide to find out all the different methods of acquiring tickets. You can also head here to start shopping on SeatGeek.
The Coachella Mobile App is available for download in both the iOS and Android app store. Downloading the app is free of charge.
Just downloading the app to your phone isn’t enough – as a Coachella attendee, knowing how to use its myriad of features to your advantage will ensure that your festival weekend runs smoothly. We’ve compiled the app’s best features below to help you navigate the festival with ease, no matter what situation you may find yourself in.
Headed to Coachella just to see a few select bands? Is there a performer that you absolutely cannot afford to miss? Do the festival goers in your party all have different acts in mind that they want to see? Keeping track of which acts perform when can be tricky. However, the Coachella app makes it easy with custom schedules.
The app’s custom schedule feature allows you to add your favorite, must-see performers to your personalized schedule. It organizes them in order of when they perform, ensuring you catch all of your favorite acts live. Creating your custom Coachella schedule before you hit the schedule grounds allows you to make a game plan in advance so you and your crew get to see the best of the best – curated just for you.
This might be one of the most important and useful features of the Coachella mobile app. Wristband Activation allows festival goers to activate their wristbands before they even step foot in Indio. To activate is simple: log in to your Coachella account on the mobile app, enter your legal first and last name into the wristband activation tab, and lastly, enter the six character code located on the back plastic part of your wristband. And poof! Your wristband is activated. Festival mode = unlocked.
It’s important to note that while your wristband can be activated at any time, many suggest waiting until right before you leave for Indio to do so, for two reasons. Firstly, activating your wristband requires a Wifi connection, and a strong one is more guaranteed at your home before you make the trek to the desert. And secondly, if you receive your wristband months before the festival and activate it super early, this eliminates your option to exchange it via Coachella’s Weekend Ticket Exchange program if need be. It’s best to wait until just before you leave for the festival to ensure a seamless activation process for all attendees.
You’ve parked, activated your ticket, and made your way through check in – now what? Stepping onto the desert grounds of Empire Polo Club can be daunting at first sight. With so much to do, so many bands to see, and so little time, it’s best you know where exactly you’re going. Thankfully, the app supplies users with an interactive, live map of the festival grounds. Not sure where to grab some grub? Need to find the fastest way to get to the main stage? The live, app-powered festival maps are sure to point you and your friends in the right direction.
We’ve all been there – suddenly, your phone is no longer in your pocket. Maybe you’re camping with your car and your keys have unexpectedly vanished. Or, somehow your favorite pair of sunglasses have performed the vanishing act of the century. Look no further than the real time lost and found, only on the Coachella app. The festival will post descriptions to the app in real-time of abandoned personal items brought to their lost and found throughout the weekend. If you go to the Info & Extras section of the app and see an item that sounds like it might be yours, you can head over to the lost and found tent to claim it in person.
So if you find yourself panicking at Coachella when you realize you’ve lost something near and dear, don’t fret – check the real-time lost and found first. Check out more info on Coachella’s lost and found tent here.
The arts have always been a huge part of Coachella, and this year is no different. The app offers a fun and innovative array of AR (augmented reality) lenses to use both leading up to and during the festival. While the app comes pre-loaded with Coachella-themed AR lenses to use with your phone’s camera, exclusive lenses become available once you’re on the festival grounds. After you’ve checked in at Empire Polo Club and step foot into the desert, take a look at the exclusive lenses that become available to you. The photos you take will be even more memorable with these highly stylized Coachella-themed filters.
With all of the fantastic food options that Coachella has to offer all weekend long, its best to beat the lines with mobile ordering – it’s like the festival version of Doordash or Uber Eats, if you will. The Coachella app allows you to digitally peruse all of the food options available across the desert festival grounds, and then order your grub ahead of time. That way, you don’t miss any of the big festival happenings by waiting on long lines. Coachella is known for curating a solid range of food and drink options for those in attendance, including vegan and gluten-free options as well.
Check out this year’s food and drink selections here.
Coachella is known for hosting a slew of other fun festival activities on its grounds, such as endless gourmet food options, camping, dance parties, giveaways, shopping, and of course its iconic ferris wheel rides. Using the Coachella mobile app makes it easy to view all of the extracurricular entertainment options that the festival has to offer. Check out the activities section of the app to scroll through all of the entertainment options that will be happening at the festival so you don’t miss out on all the additional fun that Coachella has to offer. Check out a full list of festival activities here.