Dark Secrets About Coachella

1. There have been numerous deaths

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If you look through the media you will see perhaps 3 reported deaths that occurred at Coachella. However, some people claim that the numbers are much higher than this but that they are not reported by the media because Coachella does not want to risk any bad press. They believe the real numbers are much higher.

2. Numerous r*pes have been reported

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Coachella have introduced a variety of means including watchdogs to try and protect people from being s*xually assaulted. Yet, there have been numerous cases where women have reported being r*ped at the festival. And experts suggest that many go unreported so statistics could be higher in reality.

3. There are huge amounts of plastic pollution

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Single use plastics are supposed to be a thing of the past. Reusable materials and water bottles are the trend that is trying to pave its way. But, festivals such as Coachella where you cannot bring your own bottles promote single use plastics and HUGE amounts of plastic waste. Millions and millions of plastic waste are produced.

4. It causes huge environmental impact

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The California festival is the biggest in the world. It has to be created each year and takes up a huge amount of energy and resources meaning that it has a huge environmental impact. It has been criticised for its lack of sustainability during the climate crisis.

5. The owner supported anti-LGBTQ organisations

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It was found out that the owner of the festival, Philip Anschutz, had been donating large amounts of money to organisations which promote anti-LGBTIQQ thinking and legislation. Once he had been discovered he stopped, however, some believe the festival should be boycotted.

6. Dr*g use is a huge problem!

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Because of the grand scale of the festival, it does mean that there are a lot of dr*gs on the premises and the festival is rife with illegal substances. At Coachella in particular, dr*g use is super common. And every year there are incidents of overdoses at the festival.

7. Crime is common

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One place with millions of people, alcohol and illegal substances it is pretty much a recipe for trouble. And that's exactly what it is. Crime is common. Thieves make it their mission to rifle through people's things and fights break out throughout the festival. Keep you things safe, you don't know who's about.

8. The line-up isn't diverse enough

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Considering Coachella is supposedly one of the most modern festivals out there, there is still a huge lack of diversity. Some people criticize the line-ups each year for their lack of diversity in representing groups of different races and different genders. Year after year we see men dominating the headline spots of the line-up... shocking!

9. The owner funded anti-climate change legislation

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The owner, billionaire Philip Anschutz, has also caused more controversy due to the organisations he chooses to donate to. He has also funder anti-climate change organisations so that he can continue to create a festival with a damaging impact and he himself will not lose any money.

10. Coachella has been accused of cultural appropriation

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The marketing, aesthetics and fashions have come under fire as people believe it is an example of cultural appropriation. The styles replicate Native-American inspired themes and so the festival have caused controversy and upset due to the use of cultural appropriation.

11. The workers are exploited

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Coachella is a hotbed for status, celebrities, and people of wealth. Yet, when it comes to the workers or the labourers who built the festival, the Coachella company has been accused of exploiting workers as well as treating them and paying them unfairly.

12. It promotes waste culture

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Coachella doesn't just come with a huge hype about attending the festival. It comes with a huge pressure to 'dress to impress'. People head out to the shops and spend money on their Coachella outfits, meticulously planning each day. Yet it promotes consumerism and waste - buying unnecessarily for a one time wear outfit.

13. The inflated prices are unethical

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Prices at Coachella are unbelievably high. Even if you just want a bottle of water. But, the prices have been criticised as unfair. The way they bump up and inflate the prices so much, means that one bottle of water may cost more than somebody could earn in one hour at work.

14. S*xual assault cases

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The festival has so many people and some people believe that the festival is not policed well enough, or screened well enough. There have been incidents reported by women where s*xual predators have assaulted them whilst they were at Coachella. In 2019 one man was accused by several women.

15. The festival exploits the local community

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Imagine living in the local community nearby Coachella! Not only does the festival use huge amounts of space, but the flood of tourists also pushes out the local residents meaning that they do not have the resources eft for themselves. It also created hordes of traffic as well as lots of air pollution.

16. There aren't enough disabled facilities

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A musical in this day and age should be accessible to everyone. However, disabled people have found that they do not have access to the facilities that they need or want at Coachella. Not enough amenities have been put in place to make it an equally fun event for everybody.

17. It promotes an unhealthy lifestyle

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Many influencers and social media gurus promote Coachella as more than a festival, as almost a way to live. They focus heavily on self-image, partying and frivolous behaviour which some people believe promotes a very unhealthy expectation of how they should live, or an unhealthy lifestyle.

18. It's elitist

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Coachella is very much focused around celebrities and VIPs. But, the festival does a lot to attract people in the public eye to the festival, giving them special treatment and private areas where they can go. The very elitist behaviour excludes the people who have worked to buy their ticket, despite not getting a similar kind of treatment.

19. It's over hyped and edited

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The thing is with Coachella is it is one of the most expensive festivals because it is one of the most popular festivals in the entire world. Yet, often when people go they are disappointed by what they find. The reality and what we see online may be VERY different. The pictures are usually edited.

20. There's not enough shade, people overheat

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One of the problems that has been found at Coachella is that there are not enough places where you escape the burning sun and get some shade to cool down. So, there have been incidents of people overheating and suffering with sunburn. To go somewhere with shade can mean paying more and so people have criticised the lack of shaded areas available.

21. It's not children friendly

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People have found that there are by no means enough family spaces or child amenities at Coachella. In fact many view the festival as an adult-only festival, despite not being labelled as such. And so some families have struggled to find appropriate places and services for their children.

22. Favoritism over certain artists

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The festival has also been critics for its blatant favoritism which some performing artists or attending artists/ celebrities have found. Some celebrities/ artists will be treated entirely different depending on how they are viewed by the festival and how appealing they will be to an audience.

23. They contribute to the California drought

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There is thought that Coachella contributes to the droughts in California. Due to the hot climate and lack of rain water supplies are necessary. Yet, Coachella uses a huge amount of these supplies meaning that there may not be enough for the rest of the year to deal with times of drought.

24. The marketing is unethical

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The festival has been called out for its marketing which suggests to people that if they do not attend they will be missing out massively. They also sell different packages as a way to get people to spend more money, suggesting that the more they pay the better experience they will have!

25. It's a lot of lies...

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One or two celebrities and YouTubers have recently come out and said that they did not actually like Coachella. They then revealed that they believe other celebrities pretend that they are having a good time, because it's promoted as the best weekend of people's lives. So then people portray it on Instagram as though they thoroughly enjoyed it.

26. There's a lack of transparency

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The festival has come under criticism for its lack of transparency. The festival highly prioritises profit, yet some people believe that this could be at the expense of people's welfare. Their lack of transparency could hide their immoral practices or immoral decision making.

27. It's all about mainstream acts

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The acts at Coachella are all about popular singers and artists, mainstream artists who have most likely been in the top charts. This does not leave any room for new, up and coming or independent artists who are trying to make their way in the music world.

28. It loses its meaning

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The whole reason for a music festival, at the very centre of it should be the music. Yet with Coachella, for many people the music is secondary to the event which in a lot of people's eyes is a fashion event. It's about parading in new outfits, rather than celebrating music.

29. There are overcrowding problems

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With festivals, especially such big festivals like Coachella, overcrowding can be a huge problem. because even if the numbers in the festival itself are limited, once people are in there is no control on where the crowds go. So, if everybody heads to the mainstage there can be serious crowding issues.

30. People don't feel safe

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There have been a lot of people who have not felt safe at Coachella for a variety of reasons. In fact, some people have actually fully left the festival because they did not personally view it as a safe environment or one where they could be protected.