Held in the deserts of Indio, California every April for two weekends, Coachella has turned into one of the biggest festivals in the world, and definitely the most-talked-about and photogenic of them all.
With a hippie vibe to it, fans and A-listers, including Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Paris Hilton, and Shay Mitchell, flock to the festival grounds for either one or both weekends, listening to the hottest acts in music, riding the iconic Ferris wheel, and eating a variety of foods from different vendors in the LA area. In past years, musicians like Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and Prince have all headlined, with dozens more listed to perform at one of the many stages.
This year, with Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande scheduled to headline, and other acts including DJ Snake, Zedd, Khalid, Weezer, Billie Eilish, and K-pop group BLACKPINK, appearing at the different stages, it’s going to be one of the most significant years for the festival.
Many people look forward to the festival, even if they’re not going, simply because they want to see what their favorite singers and groups will be doing and what surprises they will bring. For the ninth consecutive year in a row, YouTube will be live streaming from the festival, only this time it will cover both weekends, instead of just one like it has for the past eight years.
According to USA Today, last year’s stream had an audience of more than 41 million, live streaming to more than 232 countries and territories, partly because Beyoncé headlined and performed with Destiny’s Child for the first time in years.
Streams will include a performance by Childish Gambino, who will also premiere his new film, “Guava Island,” featuring Rihanna; and a performance by Kanye West on Easter Sunday morning. The second weekend will include more performances, interviews, artist commentary, and other content.
The popular website will offer three simultaneous live streams with performances by more than 80 artists including Ariana Grande, Janelle Monaé, Kacey Musgraves, and Wiz Khalifa, with some content being available On-Demand.
On Friday, April 12, YouTube will be broadcasting BLACKPINK’s performance from The Beast jumbotron in Times Square starting at 11:50 p.m. ET.
Festival founder Paul Tollett said in a statement to USA Today the YouTube live stream has helped them reach an international audience.
“I’m still overwhelmed by how many people saw last year’s event across the world,” Tollett said.
Starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Friday, April 12, running through the weekend and picking back up on Friday, April 19, check out YouTube’s live stream of Coachella at https://www.youtube.com/coachella.
Viewers will be able to stream on smart TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones. Watching and listening on the YouTube Music app is also an option, which has a free tier and $12.99 monthly subscription with no ads and downloadable music.