What to bring to Coachella Weekend 1, Coachella Weekend 2
Essential packing tips and must-have items for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of the hottest festival tickets every year — for both everyday music fans and big-name celebrities — but that kind of notoriety comes with a price.
So how much does Coachella actually cost, and how does it compare to some of the country’s other big music festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo and Summerfest? Each offers a version of the “big festival” experience with a different price structure. While some have the infrastructure and amenities of a city to make travel easier, others have a more rural setting that requires renting a vehicle and camping on-site.
We analyzed the costs for an individual traveling to each of these five festivals in 2026, excluding airfare and food. The price comparisons below include a general admission pass to the whole festival, any available shuttle services (or other transportation) to the festival, camping or hotel fees for the duration of the whole festival, and, when applicable, parking fees.
Editor’s note: Festival pass, lodging and other travel costs are constantly changing, so this is simply a snapshot of what prices looked like when each festival released their initial price structure for 2026.
How much does it really cost for someone to attend Coachella?
When: Coachella Weekend 1 is April 10-12, and Coachella Weekend 2 is April 17-19, 2026
Where: Empire Polo Club, 81-800 51st Ave., Indio, California
Cost:
- GA pass (initial sale) Weekend 1: $649
- GA pass (initial sale) Weekend 2: $549
- GA/shuttle pass combo (initial sale) Weekend 1: $779
- GA/shuttle pass combo (initial sale) Weekend 2: $679
- Car Camping: $160
- Parking: Free to day park as long as you have a festival pass.
When examining the costs for those who live outside the Coachella Valley to attend Coachella 2026, it’s no surprise to see the costs are high, especially when it comes to local hotels. As of March 24, most local hotels are priced at over $1,000 a night during the festivals, but not all of them. The most affordable option for Friday, April 10 through Monday, April 13 (Weekend 1) was the Motel 6 location in North Palm Springs at $463 a night and $1,592 total after taxes, and $393 a night and a total of $1,352 for Friday, April 17 through Monday, April 20 (aka Weekend 2).
For those flying in and renting a car for camping or opting to drive to the festival from your hotel over the shuttle, the cheapest full-sized rental car from Thursday to Monday during Weekend 1 is $207.21 and $246.19 after taxes/fees for Weekend 2 from Sixt at Palm Springs International Airport.
Cost with camping and rental car Weekend 1: $1,016.21
Cost with camping and rental car Weekend 2: $955.19 (cheapest Coachella GA option)
Cost with hotel and shuttle Weekend 1: $2,371
Cost with hotel and shuttle Weekend 2: $2,031
Cost with hotel and rental car Weekend 1: $2,448.21 (most expensive Coachella GA option)
Cost with hotel and rental car Weekend 2: $2,147.19
So … how do America’s other biggest music festivals compare, price-wise?
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
When: June 11-14, 2026
Where: 700 acre Bonnaroo Farm, 1560 New Bushy Branch Road, Manchester, Tennessee
Cost:
- GA 3-day pass: From $390
- GA 2-day pass: $264
- GA 1-day pass: $174
- Camping pass: $99 (3 people minimum) to $150 (less than 3)
- Parking: $50 a day
The four-day Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee is held annually in June. The 2026 festival features headliners The Strokes, Skrillex, Rüfüs Du Sol, and Noah Kahan, as well as several other notable acts such as Yungblud, Teddy Swims, Alabama Shakes, Kesha, Major Lazer and more.
The site is situated an hour outside of Nashville in a rural area. For this reason, organizers do not recommend ridesharing to the location and note on their website that most visitors flying in typically rent a car to drive to the site. For those who don’t want to camp at the festival, the Microtel Inn and Suites in Manchester, located close to the site, was $330 per night as of March 11 for June 11-14. Total with fees/taxes was $1,322. On the same date, the cheapest “standard”-sized rental car through Priceless Rental Car at Nashville International Airport was $52 per day. Total with fees/taxes was $266.30 June 11-15.
Cost to attend the full festival with rental car and single camping: $846.30
Cost to attend the full festival with rental car, day parking and hotel: $2,218.30
Summerfest
When: June 18-20, June 25-27, and July 2-4, 2026
Where: Henry Maier Festival Park, 200 N. Harbor Drive, Milwaukee
Cost:
- 9-day pass: $130
- 3-day pass: $63
- 1-day ticket: $28
- American Family Insurance Amphitheater headliner shows: Ticketed and priced separately, above festival tickets are only valid for general admission to the festival grounds and its smaller stages (but those who purchase tickets to headliner shows get access to everything at the festival).
Summerfest in downtown Milwaukee is something else entirely. The self-professed “World’s Largest Music Festival” runs for three weekends with stages, plazas, food courts, and amenities throughout the park, including premium headliner performances at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
This year’s festival features hundreds of acts such as The Roots, Megadeth, Father John Misty, and many more. The American Family Insurance Amphitheater headliners include Garth Brooks, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Muse, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and others.
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Milwaukee, and an Uber or Lyft ride will typically cost you somewhere between $20 and $30. The lowest priced standard vehicle rental from Dollar during all three weekends was $55 per day, so $218 after fees and taxes for three days.
As of March 19, the cheapest hotel options for the first weekend were as follows: Homewood Suites in downtown Milwaukee at $383 per night, totaling $1,354 after fees and taxes for three nights. During the second weekend, the Holiday Inn Express was available for $399 per night, amounting to $1,411 after fees and taxes. For the third weekend, the Dubbel Dutch offered rates of $307 per night, with a total of $1,087 after fees and taxes.
Summerfest provides packages that include tickets for the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, along with a selection of hotels for ticketholders and premium add-ons.
So, how much does it cost to attend Summerfest? The price below does not include a ticket for any of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater shows.
June 18-20 GA weekend pass with hotel and rental car: $1,632
June 25-27 GA weekend pass with hotel and rental car: $1,692
July 2-4 GA weekend pass with hotel and rental car: $1,368
Lollapalooza
When: July 30-Aug. 2, 2026
Where: Grant Park, 331 E. Randolph St., Chicago (different versions of this festival exist in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Sweden, and India, but we’re only discussing the Chicago fest)
Cost:
- 1-day GA pass: From $185
- 2-day GA pass: From $370 (now sold out)
- 4-day GA pass: From $399 (now sold out, but you can join the wait list)
Lollapalooza takes place in Grant Park, Chicago, which is ideal due to the numerous nearby hotels within walking distance. This convenient location allows for daily reentry, so attendees can explore the city in the morning and return throughout the day for performances. This year, the four-day festival features headliners Charli XCX, Tate McRae, Lorde, Olivia Dean, John Summit, Jennie of BLACKPINK, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The xx.
Organizers have included a list of several hotels with exclusive prices for festivalgoers. Union League Club of Chicago, which is about a 15-minutes walk from Grant Park, is $299 a night and $1,567 after fees/taxes for four nights. There are other options slightly higher, around the same distance or further away, including outside of the city. A Lyft or Uber ride from O’Hare International Airport to downtown Chicago averages between $35 and $50, but may surge higher depending on the time of day and demand. The CTA Blue Train from the airport to the city is $5, and taxi services are available as well.
Cost for a 4-day pass with hotel and rideshare (the latter of which ranges but is often around $35) $2,001
Austin City Limits
When: Weekend 1 of ACL is Oct. 2-4, and Weekend 2 of ACL is Oct. 9-Oct. 11, 2026
Where: Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas
Cost:
The Austin City Limits festival takes place in the heart of Austin over two weekends. The lineup is TBA and a presale already happened in December, but a general onsale with lineup announcement happens each spring.
One of the festival’s features is that organizers operate a shuttle service from downtown Austin to Zilker Park. Although there is no parking at Zilker Park or in the surrounding neighborhoods, paid parking is available at various nearby locations through ParkWhiz.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is 10 miles from downtown Austin. An average Lyft or Uber ride is $33 and taxis are also available. The closest hotels that are partnered with the festival and are offering exclusive rates are two miles away. The cheapest options were the Hyatt Regency Austin and Embassy Suites Austin Downtown South Congress, both at $345 a night and $1,346 as of March 19.
Cost for a 3-day GA pass plus hotel and rideshare (the latter of which ranges but tends to cost around $33): $1,704
So, what’s the upshot? Lollapalooza is the most expensive festival experience on this list at $2,001 for a 4-day pass + hotel stay + rideshare to the festival. How does Coachella compare? The cheapest Coachella option is $1,010.81 cheaper at $955.19 for a Weekend 2 GA pass + campsite + rental car.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com.
