Comment: Why the truth about Coachella might cure your FOMO

By Colleen Brady

It’s that time of the year again – bloggers and celebs hit Palm Springs for the second stint of the Coachella Weekend this weekend, and the jealousy inducing Snapchat stories and smug pics are now clogging up our Instagram feeds.

However, Coachella doesn’t seem to be all it’s cracked up to be, and by looking over the surface, it seems it is more about celebs keeping up appearances.

For upcoming bloggers and celebs it seems as if Coachella is not just a music festival but an opportunity for them to build their following and also make key contacts.

Coachella is nothing like your standard Irish or UK festival.

Yes, the line-up is fantastic, with this year’s Coachella giving the stage to names like Beyonce, Eminem, The Weeknd and SZA. However, the whole vibe of Coachella seems to be more about blogger branding than the actual music itself.

Every year our favourite celebs and bloggers attend the star-studded festival, where their followers seem to multiply as a result of those pictures in front of the famous ferris wheel.

In fact, Irish blogger Louise Cooney hit the 100K mark this weekend while at the festival.

The whole festival seems to be selfie central and more about the fashion and posing than enjoying the music on offer.

Many celebs and bloggers including German blogger Masha Sedgwick have commented that Coachella is just an overcrowded, huge platform to see and to be seen, simply because everyone is there.

At Coachella you can’t drink alcohol freely while swaying over and back to your favourite songs.

If you want to drink alcohol you have to go to specially designated areas away from the festival grounds where you can only get one drink at a time. Sneaking in drink is not an option either as there is security everywhere and you are searched multiple times while entering the festival.

It seems the music is second priority for not all but many who attend Coachella, and it is more about posting on social media platforms showing “look at how much fun we are having” than actually having any fun.

Celebrities are there to be photographed by paparazzi and bloggers are there to be noticed or photographed by fashion magazines and style blogs.

The hope to pop up in a magazine under “Coachella style” certainly comes at a price – over $500 dollars to be exact – and that's just for the ticket.

Coachella seems to not be a music festival in the real sense of the word, where care free people come together in the mud to celebrate music, but only acts like one. Coachella provides a festival- like experience but without the reality.

Many bloggers make the money back on the ticket by wearing sponsored clothes, and working with co-operations which may make some a profit.

Festivals are usually a fun experience, however Coachella seems to be more about endless hashtags and pictures being uploaded onto Instagram – almost like an assignment.

If you are going to Coachella to catch a glimpse of some famous celebs, forget about it.

Most of the time celebrities don’t even go to the actual festival but chill out at Lacoste and Mulberry pool parties instead in secret locations nearby.

While everyone is moaning about how jealous they are about not getting to attend Coachella, it seems that it is a festival to show off and build a following as opposed to what the reality of a festival is.