As the summer begins, so does “festival season”: the highlight of the summer months. The crown jewel of American festivals is the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival, more commonly known as  “Coachella”. Since its opening in 1999, Coachella has rapidly grown in popularity. With a first year attendance of 10,000 according to the Huffington Post, the popularity rise is clearly shown, with this year’s tickets selling out completely.

The rise of Coachella comes from the talent employed to perform there. In years past, artists such as Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Prince, Jay-Z, The Black Keys, and AC/DC have headlined the festival, bringing large fan bases along with them. The lineup of this year’s Coachella included headliners LCD Soundsystem, Guns N’ Roses, and Calvin Harris, along with performances by Ellie Goulding, Halsey, Drake and The 1975 amongst others. The musical talent that has been highlighted throughout the years at Coachella has opened up a mass social media following for the festival, catapulting Coachella into success.

The style of Coachella is unique and special in its own light. The essence of sixties and seventies hippie culture is heavy in the fashion amongst festival attendees, much of which is reminiscent of the Woodstock Festival of 1969. Clothing has made itself one of the most anticipated and obsessed over aspects of the festival, with fashion magazines releasing photos of festival goers captioned with the brands they’re wearing as well as guides on where to purchase them. Retailers such as ASOS and Free People have found a niche in festival culture and are often staples of festival wear, especially at Coachella. Trends amongst Coachella attendees include fringe, suede, denim shorts, mini skirts and body suits, along with many more.

Coachella culture is centered around the music and fashion that make it unique. There are not many music festivals that are able to seamlessly pull together pop, rap and alternative music. Place the event on a desert backdrop, nostalgic of the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, making it the most anticipated music event of the year. As festival culture continues to skyrocket, Coachella will hopefully continue to be the King of American festivals for years to come.