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  1. Production & Strategy
  2. Programming & Entertainment

Coachella's First Weekend Reigns Supreme for Festivalgoers and Parties Alike

Alesandra Dubin
April 15, 2013

Never mind the skeptics who said Goldenvoice's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had overstepped when it made the move to two identical weekends last year. The event returns to the Southern California desert this year with blazing buzz, having just wrapped its first weekend—which sold out almost immediately after tickets went on sale—at the Empire Polo Field. About 80,000 people a day came for the party, which culminated in headliners such as the Wu-Tang Clan and Red Hot Chili Peppers performing their Sunday night sets amid an intense windstorm that churned desert sands relentlessly through the crowd—just one of the vivid sensory experiences the festival is known to provide.

Even without a standout music moment—like last year's famous Tupac hologram—the festival seems to stay fresh and relevant in unexpected ways. It went beyond simply offering recycling through eco-partner Global Inheritance by employing a 20-foot-tall dinosaur art piece—known as Recyclosaurus Rex—to crush bottles. It works with sponsors such as Heineken not just for ho-hum signage, but for DJs, digital light shows, and cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which is tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until they're ready to imbibe. Hollywood's Sound nightclub is hosting the newest tent, known as Yuma, for electronic music. The Do Lab's dramatic central stage and art pieces light up and glow as night falls. And, in numerous other ways, Coachella simply remains the place to be.

Specifically, the place to be for brands was the buzzier first weekend with few exceptions. Like the festival itself, the landscape of related events and pool parties continues to evolve, with a few major fashion newcomers this year—H&M and ShopBazaar—while fashion brand Mulberry, on the other hand, was not back on the scene. For the fourth consecutive year, H&M is an official sponsor, but it expanded its presence beyond the polo fields for the first time to the 40-acre Merv Griffin Estate, where more than 300 guests came for performances by Santigold, DJ Michelle Pesce, and others on Saturday.

Among the returning brands, Armani Exchange has built a reputation as the host of the weekend's most buzz-worthy party and held the fourth annual Armani Exchange Neon Carnival late Saturday night. A massive throng packed Tradition Aviation, an airplane hangar near the festival grounds, for thrill rides, carnival games, Svedka Vodka specialty cocktails, and music sets by popular DJs like Jus Ske. The line to get in saw crowds still pushing against security barriers at 2 a.m.

As for the future of the fest beyond next weekend? A new deal keeps Coachella and Goldenvoice spring festival Stagecoach in Indio through at least 2030—and expands the potential ticket sales to 99,000 and 75,000, respectively.

Click through for a look inside the festival and its surrounding events.

H&M Coachella Party
H&M Coachella Party
For the fourth consecutive year, H&M is an official sponsor of the festival, but it expanded its presence beyond the polo fields for the first time to the 40-acre Merv Griffin Estate, where more than 300 guests came for performances by Santigold, DJ Michelle Pesce, and others on Saturday.
Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for H&M
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Technology-driven visual arts studio V Squared Labs, headed by Vello Virkhaus, created striking, ever-changing visuals at the festival's Sahara stage.
Photo: Slade Smith
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Do Lab's central art piece took on an ombré look this year, in colors that seemed to evoke desert flowers. The structures provided shade, a meeting point, and a stage for performances that included the work of Lucent Dossier.
Photo: Melissa Iris Garcia for BizBash
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
A new art piece on the festival grounds called "Mirage," envisioned by festival art curator Paul Clemente and created and executed by experiential design and media company Pearl Media Productions, took the form and architecture of a mid-century Palms Springs mansion, standing at 40 feet tall, 80 feet wide, and 100 feet long. A total of 12 zones of high-tech HD projections made it appear that changing activities were taking place inside the home's rooms and its pool. The project requires 18 gigs of custom content and more than 70 facets of individual video over the course of the six-day festival.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
As part of the fest's major green efforts, it employs a 20-foot-tall dinosaur art piece—known as Recyclosaurus Rex—to crush bottles.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Heineken's Dome at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Heineken's Dome at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Heineken's sponsorship activation includes cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which is tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until guests are ready to imbibe. V Squared Labs also created the visuals for the brand's dome on the festival grounds.
Photo: Slade Smith/Courtesy of Corso Communications
H&M Coachella Party
H&M Coachella Party
Sleek signage in foliage and hedging served as chic, branded photo backdrops for celebrity arrivals.
Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for H&M
H&M Coachella Party
H&M Coachella Party
The party's overall Moroccan-style decor included poolside and lawn seating groups complete with pillows, rugs, and lanterns. Activities included ping-pong and bocce ball, while in the water, rafts filled the pool, and logo paddle boats filled the pond.
Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for H&M
Lacoste Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Lacoste Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Back for its fourth year was Lacoste, which brought its Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party to a private estate near the festival grounds with production by Made With Elastic. In addition to table tennis and bocce ball, guests could attempt to shoot a hole in one on a branded putting green for a chance to win Lacoste headphones.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for LACOSTE
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
The event included an activity/art installation that invited guests to shoot paint-covered tennis balls at a massive polo shirt called “Polo Gigante.” Beta Creative was behind the setup.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for LACOSTE
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Cigarette-style girls, clad in Lacoste gear, passed Kiel's sun protection products.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for LACOSTE
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party at Coachella
For right on-trend festival looks, a flower crown station allowed guests to pick up garlands to wear on the spot—in exchange for a posting on social media.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for LACOSTE
Armani Exchange Neon Carnival at Coachella
Armani Exchange Neon Carnival at Coachella
Armani Exchange hosted its fourth annual Neon Carnival at Tradition Aviation, an airplane hanger not far from the festival grounds.
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Armani Exchange Neon Carnival at Coachella
Armani Exchange Neon Carnival at Coachella
The party included thrill rides, carnival games, Svedka Vodka specialty cocktails, and music sets by DJs like Jus Ske. The night also celebrated the debut of the special-edition Armani Exchange Color Flash watch and sunglasses collection in neon colors.
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Chevy Volt Valley
Chevy Volt Valley
Night Vision Entertainment and Chevrolet presented Volt Valley at the Mirage featuring Bagatelle Beach, a two-day event at a private ranch to celebrate this year’s festival, where activities included a zip line for guests.
Photo: Doug Hac
Chevy Volt Valley
Chevy Volt Valley
A Patrón-branded hot-air balloon offered chilled shots of XO Café.
Photo: Doug Hac
Diesel Studio Africa Event
Diesel Studio Africa Event
An event for Diesel and Bono’s clothing collection, Edun, took to the Tally Horse Ranch. Bono was among those curating the music for the program.
Photo: Vero Image
Diesel Studio Africa Event
Diesel Studio Africa Event
Stoelt Productions built out the event, which had design by M Crown Productions.
Photo: Vero Image
Hard Rock Music Lounge at Coachella
Hard Rock Music Lounge at Coachella
Hard Rock Hotels, in association with the BMF Media Group, brought the Hard Rock Music Lounge to the Hotel Zoso, which is set to become a Hard Rock property later this year. Just before the weekend, street artist Mr. Brainwash snuck into the venue to deface property with his music-inspired graffiti artwork—an unusual combination of spontaneous vandalism and sanctioned stunt. Guests woke up to spray-painted masterpieces covering the hotel grounds from the lobby entrance to the upstairs pool deck. His artwork featured repetitive portraits spreading the messages “Music is beautiful” and “Life is beautiful.” A live camel served as a photo op. Owl's Brew, a tea crafted for cocktails, sponsored the event and seemed to be ubiquitous around the weekend's parties.
Photo: Johnny Nunez
ShopBazaar.com Coachella Party
ShopBazaar.com Coachella Party
Harper’s Bazaar brought the ShopBazaar pop-up boutique to the desert, similar to the pop-up created in December at Art Basel Miami Beach. Throughout the festival's first weekend, the event took over the Jonathan Adler-designed Parker Palm Springs hotel. Former Elle event chief Caitlin Weiskopf oversaw the event. "All purchases were made on ShopBazaar.com at the MacBooks or iPads in the pop-up, and guests could walk away with clothes to wear to the show that day," Weiskopf said.
Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Harper's BAZAAR
ShopBazaar.com Coachella Party
ShopBazaar.com Coachella Party
Guest tried their hands at logo beanbag games for ShopBazaar. The main event, a party with music by Mia Moretti, went down on Friday, and additional events included manicures by London lacquers Saturday and Herbal Essences' braid bar Saturday and Sunday. XA produced.
Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Harper's BAZAAR
Hennessy V.S Presents Details at Midnight
Hennessy V.S Presents Details at Midnight
Nas hosted Details at Midnight, the main event off the polo fields on the Friday night schedule, with production by TH Productions.
Photo: Alexandra Wyman/Invision for Details/Hennessy/AP Images
Hennessy V.S Presents Details at Midnight
Hennessy V.S Presents Details at Midnight
Guests gathered in a tricked-out teepee.
Photo: Kirill Was Here
Saguaro Desert Weekender at Coachella
Saguaro Desert Weekender at Coachella
At the Saguaro, Hello Stranger and dFm teamed up with Dossier for the hotel’s second annual Desert Weekender events. Three days of events hosted brands including Forever 21, Swatch, Microsoft, Corzo, and Revolve Clothing. Daytime pool parties featured DJ sets from the likes of Sky Ferreira, Peanut Butter Wolf, Classixx, Iamsound, and more.
Photo: Michael Mendoza
Saguaro Desert Weekender at Coachella
Saguaro Desert Weekender at Coachella
Logos took colorful forms at the Saguaro's distinctive rainbow-hued property.
Photo: Michael Mendoza
'Filter' Yacht Club Pre-Coachella Party
'Filter' Yacht Club Pre-Coachella Party
Kicking things off early on Thursday, Filter magazine returned for its 11th annual Yacht Club pre-festival events, produced by lifestyle marketing and branding agency Filter Creative Group. Aerie sponsored the event, which will also offer a Thursday program ahead of the second weekend. It's among few brands to do so.
Photo: Colin Young-Wolff
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