Since its inaugural 1999 event, Coachella has consistently created the most buzz on the North American music and arts festival circuit. Whether Coachella fans are camping out onsite on the polo grounds, or commuting back-and-forth each day, they always expect to rock out with big names, and pay even bigger prices. Typically boasting some of the hottest names in the music industry, past headliners have included Paul McCartney, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. In 2014, fans should expect more of the same.
The featured artists this time around begin with celebrated hip-hop pair, Outkast, who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first album. Muse and Arcade Fire will also be big draws throughout the course of the two-weekend event. The Knife, The Replacements, Broken Bells, DJ Zedd, Haim, Chromeo, Neko Case, Bryan Ferry and the Glitch Mob will also be performing -- and that's just the first day! Rounding out the remainder of the Coachella talent pool are big names like Beck, Nas, Foster The People, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Queens of the Stone Age, Calvin Harris, Lana Del Rey, and 17 year-old New Zealand sensation, Lorde.
General admission tickets for the two-day festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, were sold out less than twenty minutes after their release. Upgraded passes, including VIP Admission, were unavailable after just three hours on the market.
Further feeding the ticket frenzy, this week, event organizers released the much anticipated set times. The announcement fired up those planning to be in attendance, and incentivized those on the fence to scoop up some of the remaining tickets still available on the secondary market. Fans looking to grab a three-day pass for the first weekend, April 11-13, will notice a hefty average price tag of $1,810 and get-in price of $460. While the get-in price the following weekend, April 18-20, is only $50 less at $410, the average price for a three-day pass is dramatically reduced, currently resting at $748.
If Coachella is too rich for the average music lover's blood, the summer of 2014 will be saturated with tons of other attractive musical events, all more affordably priced. Memorial Day Weekend is a music buff's dream, featuring three showcase events. Boston Calling will take place May 23-25 at City Hall Plaza and feature Jack Johnson, Sasquatch covers the same 3 days out at The Gorge in Quincy, QA and includes performances by Outkast, M.I.A and Kid Cudi, and Electric Daisy Carnival runs May 24-25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Four major events scatter the month of June, starting with The Governors Ball, June 6-8 at Randall's Island. Bonnaroo, June 12-15 in Manchester, TN, and Firefly, June 19-22 in Dover, DE, will also be big draws in June. Rounding out the month is perhaps the largest, and most cost-effective event of the summer: Summerfest, June 25-29 at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee, WI.
Fans can return to The Gorge over July 4 weekend for another three days of Sasquatch. Lollapalooza will rock Grant Park in Chicago from August 1-3, and Outside Lands takes over Golden Gate Park in San Francisco from August 8-10. August bleeds into September when Bumbershoot hits Seattle Center, August 30 through September 1. Summer's musical finale comes October 3-5 and 10-12 as Austin City Limits comes to Zilker Park in Austin, TX.
Below are the average and get-in prices for the other top festivals:
- Austin City Limits Week 1: Avg. Price: $529 | Get-in: $231
- Austin City Limits Week 2: Avg. Price: $582 | Get-in: $240
- Bonnaroo 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $429 | Get-in: $300
- Boston Calling 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $258 | Get-in: $80
- Bumbershoot 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $239 | Get-in: $126
- Electric Daisy Carnival 2-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $337 | Get-in: $156
- Firefly 4-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $361 | Get-in: $208
- Governors Ball 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $363 | Get-in: $125
- Lollapalooza 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $426 | Get-in: $170
- Outside Lands 3-Day Pass: Avg. Price: $360 | Get-in: $200
- Sasquatch May: Avg. Price: $702 | Get-in: $352
- Sasquatch July: Avg. Price: $488 | Get-in: $420
- Summerfest: Avg. Price: $201 | Get-in: $58
And for more on all these festivals, check out the TiqIQ blog.