An Insider’s Guide To Coachella’s Artist Pass

Coachella weekends have officially come and gone, and who would have thought that YouTube Premium would be the thing we all can’t stop talking about after it was all over? The two-weekend musical festival is known for a lot of things, like fashion, food, and, of course, your favorite artists, but if you still haven’t been to Palm Springs to experience the whole thing IRL, you might be wondering about the different tiers of entry so you can plan your own visit in the future.

When I attended the festival two years ago, I got to go with an artist-pass wristband, which basically meant I was treated like the BFFs of huge performers like Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, and even Chappell Roan (who performed on the small Coachella stage in April 2024 just before blowing up the festival circuit and skyrocketing to main-stage status). If you’ve ever been curious about the different pass tiers at Coachella and what having an artist pass actually entails, allow me to break it down for you.

First, What Even Is A Coachella Artist Pass?

When musicians perform at the Coachella stages (even on the smallest stage), they get a few artist passes. These are also sometimes referred to as “all-access passes.” An artist pass is essentially a wristband that allows festivalgoers into Coachella and into certain areas that even VIP attendees can’t access. Think of it as one step above VIP, and one step below being an actual, you know, celebrity.

Getting Your Hands On One

This is the tricky part. To get an artist pass, you usually have to know one of the artists performing or be on an artist’s crew in some way. However, Redditors report that you can access artist passes through Safari camping tickets. Unfortunately, if you go this route, it will cost you around $10,000 for just two tickets. Reddit claims people are constantly reselling their artist passes as well, but they can be difficult to verify since all tickets come as wristbands.

Since I went to Coachella as a guest of a brand with activations throughout the festival, I was able to score my artist pass through those connections.

An Artist Pass Vs. VIP

Although many perks are touted, like golf cart access, VIP entry, and more, the biggest perk of having an artist pass for me was the special side-stage access to watch the performances. I didn’t end up using the golf cart because they’re more useful if you’re camping directly on the Coachella grounds. Otherwise, it was easy to walk around from stage to stage without needing a cart.

The artist pass also gets you closer to the stage — even closer than the VIP section. Considering the mass scale of attendees in general, this really isn’t a festival that’s about getting up close and personal to your favorite artists, especially if they’re headlining the Coachella main stage. Even with an artist pass, I was still roped off behind the performers’ actual close friends and family. During Lana Del Rey’s headlining set, I was right behind a roped-off area that included Finneas, his now fiancée Claudia Sulewski, and Billie Eilish — right before she jumped onstage to join Lana for a special edition of “Ocean Eyes.”

However, I still had a super clear shot of Lana, and it was nice being even closer to the stage than VIP wristband holders. Another perk is that you get access to an ultraexclusive lounge that’s tucked away within the VIP lounge. This gives you close access to celebrity trailers that they use to get ready, so your chances of spotting your favorite celeb just as they’re about to head onstage are even greater. The main perk of entering this lounge is free water bottles, expansive seating, and private bathrooms that VIP ticket holders can’t access.

The Real Deal On Celebrity Sightings

If you’re headed to Coachella on a mission to see celebrities, you will still see plenty if you only have a VIP wristband. That’s because, within that exclusive artist-pass lounge, there are no food vendors. That means that any celebrity or celeb pal who wants to get food has to venture out into the general VIP area.

In the VIP food area, I spotted Paris Hilton, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Mel C from the Spice Girls, and many more. Here, the celebs are just roaming around, grabbing drinks and snacks like everyone else, so it’s a great opportunity to catch a glimpse or, if you’re truly lucky, steal a selfie. This section rarely has any seating, though, so you will be eating your snacks on a rock ledge or the grass.

Overall Thoughts

Coachella is an experience that goes far beyond live music — it's the perfect stage for spring fashion, celebrity sightings, and dancing alongside die-hard fans. It all depends on what you’re looking for: if the artist pass isn’t an option, the VIP wristband ($1,299 for the weekend) might still be worth it, with perks like shorter bathroom lines, a star-studded dining area, and exclusive lounges throughout the grounds.