PSA: Everything You Need To Know About The General Sale 2019
Here's an updated guide from years past. It's meant to reflect this year's changes, but please let me know if I missed anything.
When are tickets on sale?
Friday January 4th at 11am California time PDT (the fest is in SoCal, what other time zone would it be?). All info on how to purchase is here.
Can I purchase tickets for both weekends in same cart/transaction?
No, purchases are done on 2 separate sites.
WHAT DOES IT COST? WHAT ARE ALL OF THESE TICKETING OPTIONS? HOW MUCH IS VIP?
Last year I said to go to the guide (seriously it has everything), but that seemed to upset some people and Kelsi. So here's a longer broken down version of everything:
GA Pass: $429 - Gets you access to the festival, campgrounds, and parking lots.
Festival Pass/Shuttle Combo: $509 - More about the shuttles below.
VIP Pass: $999 - Gets you access to the festival, campgrounds, parking lots, and the festival’s 3 VIP areas. These areas, simply put, have MORE. More food, more shade, more bathrooms, more beer, more viewing areas.
Preferred Parking: $150
Car Camping: $125
Preferred Car Camping: $325
Tent Camping: $125
Camping Companion Parking: $60 - This is the overnight parking option for people driving in and camping with existing campers. No ins and outs allowed!
Anytime Shuttle Pass: $75 - There are multiple shuttle routes. More information to come as the festival approaches.
Hold up! Hold the fuck up! What is "preferred car camping?"
Per the site:
New For 2019
Easiest access to the venue!
Don’t rush! Arrive at your leisure.
– One [1] 10’x30′ car camping spot located closest to the venue entrance (near the Ferris Wheel) .
– Spots within the designated Preferred Car Camping area are first come first parked in the designated area
– All campers must have a festival pass. (NO vehicle ins/outs). Price include a City of Indio imposed tax.
From what I gather, it means they are now charging more to camp in Lot 8. Capitalism at it's finest!
Do I need to buy my camping pass when I buy my ticket?
No, you can buy it whenever you want. That said, parking passes do sell out. If you plan on camping, it is strongly suggested you purchase your camping pass with your wristband.
All of my friends are sharing one site, do we all need camping passes?
No, you just need one pass per site.
What’s the difference between car camping and tent camping?
Again, check the guide.
Ok ok ok, but what’s better? Car or tent?
It’s really a matter of preference but if you want easy access to your car all weekend, you’re better of car camping.
I don’t plan to camp, but I don’t know if I need to take the shuttle, should I buy a shuttle pass?
Nah, that can wait till basically anytime between now and the festival.
Should I do VIP?
From everything I’ve heard, it’s not really worth it. You get a few extra private beer gardens and better sight lines at some stages.
But if you want more info. Check the guide.
How early should I log on before tickets are live?
You really only need to be on about 5 minutes early, but plan to be on 15-20 minutes sooner to mentally prepare and make sure you're ready.
Note that payment plans are ONLY allowed during presale. You will have to pay the entire amount at time of purchase.
Is the festival really sold out? How much harder is it to get tickets now?
No. The ticketing website probably isn’t updated yet. No one knows the exact amount, but general consensus is that they sell about 75% of the tickets during presale and the rest, plus tickets from canceled payment plans, are sold in January.
Note that Weekend 1 is notoriously harder to get tickets for in the general sale.
Note that GA will sell out first, and quickly. One option you have is to purchase the GA + Shuttle pass and sell the shuttle pass later.
I don’t plan to camp, but I don’t know if I need to take the shuttle, should I buy a shuttle pass?
Nah, that can wait till basically anytime between now and around March, when they sold out last year. But if you want more info. Check the guide.
Do I need to buy my camping pass when I buy my ticket?
Camping does have to be attached to your pass, but you don't have to buy them at the same time, per se. I would suggest buying all at once since camping passes are limited and sell out quickly, but as long as camping passes are available, like shuttle passes, you can buy them from the website at any time.
All of my friends are sharing one site, do we all need camping passes?
No, you just need one pass per site.
What’s the difference between car camping and tent camping?
Again, check the guide.
Ok ok ok, but what’s better? Car or tent?
It’s really a matter of preference but if you want easy access to your car all weekend, you’re better of car camping.
When will I get my tickets?
Not till March. You’ll receive an email when your tickets ship. Weekend 1 will receive theirs first.
What happens if I don't get tickets?
First of all, DON'T PANIC. There are plenty of resale options. We have buy/sell/trade post in the sidebar that is face value and below only.
As for every other event, Stubhub and other official reselling sites that guarantee buyer protection is the safest way to go.
Check out this Buyer Safety guide assembled last year.
PSA IN THE PSA: DO NOT SHARE YOUR FESTIVAL TICKETING LINK WITH ANYONE ELSE. Your link is unique and only one person can buy tickets with it.
TWO TICKET RULE:
YOU CAN BUY TWO TICKETS PER WEEKEND/ACCOUNT/PER CARD ONLY. That means if you buy three, one will be cancelled. If you use a different card on the same account, one will be cancelled. If you use a different shipping address on the same account, one will be cancelled. If you use the same card on different accounts, one will be cancelled. Two tickets for each weekend is OK.
THE GREAT WILL CALL DEBACLE OF 2017
2 years ago, Coachella changed ticketing providers from Front Gate to Festival Ticketing. With the change, the Will Call policy that was leniently followed is now strictly enforced. Taken straight from the Coachella website:
“A valid photo ID, order number and the credit card used to purchase your passes are required at the time you pick up your passes. Only the original purchaser can pick up the order. No alternate name changes or pick ups allowed.” AND “No name changes or alternate box office or will call pickups will be allowed. No exceptions.”
If you think you MIGHT NOT attend AND will not be onsite to collect the tickets yourself, do NOT select Will Call as your delivery method. You can change your delivery address until tickets go on sale. This is especially important for international orders.
Who’s on the lineup?
This is everything I can think of at the moment. But if you have anything you think I should add, let me know and I will update. Just please, no more posts.
MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR