Coachella 2025: Influencers reveal everything they’re packing for this year’s festival

Must-have items include toilet wipes, eye drops, bandaids, fans, and sunglasses
Ahead of the opening weekend for Coachella 2025, festivalgoers are doing everything they can to ensure they’re ready for the hot, dusty daytime climate and the chill breeze at night for the best experience possible — and they’re sharing their tips for first-time attendees, too.
Every year, the concert palooza taps the biggest names in music to perform for two consecutive three-day weekends in Palm Desert, California, in front of more than 125,000 screaming fans.
Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone are set to headline both weekends this year amid a slew of performances from Grammy-nominated artists such as Benson Boone, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Lisa, Tyla, and Clairo.
Festival gates typically open around 11 a.m. PT, an hour before the first round of artists are scheduled to take the stage.
Guests are welcome to come and go as they please, but more often than not music lovers opt to stay on the grounds for the entire day and night.
No one is allowed to re-enter the festival during “lockdown hours,” from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. when the doors officially close.
Temperatures can climb to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day before dropping to low 60s with strong wind chills at night.
Devoted festival frolickers will stand in the crowds at various stages for hours to wait for their favorite artists despite the weather. Others may only stay long enough to snap a picture in front of the rainbow spiral terrace.
But whether or not you’re planning to party in the desert from open to close or go home after one or two sets, there are festival essentials you’re going to want to have, especially if you’re going to be packed like a sardine for who knows how long.
According to fashion influencer and veteran Coachella attendee Lexie Jayy, the non-negotiables are an ID and lip combo, which you can keep inside your shoe.
“Apple pay is a thing, babe. You don’t need a credit card. Do not make yourself susceptible to losing a bag or getting pick-pocketed,” Lexie said in a recent TikTok video.
If you do bring a bag, Lexie suggested using a small backpack and wearing it in the front while in the crowd.
As for what you should carry in your bag, TikTok creator Delaney, who’s attended Coachella for the past two years, suggested a portable phone charger that can stick to the back of your device and has a long charge.
Delaney also said to bring a handheld fan that isn’t battery-charged, earplugs, a foldable water bottle or hydration pack, emergency blankets, a pack of toilet wipes in case the porta potties run out, protein bars, and sunscreen.
Lifestyle influencer Jackie Tanti noted Coachella rules prohibit attendees from carrying aerosol spray cans. So, sunscreen should be cream-based, and deodorant should be roll-on.
She also recommended bringing allergy relief medicine such as Claritin and eyedrops because the wind gusts blow dust in your face. That said, packing sunglasses, a bandana, and a head scarf to tie around your eyes, nose, and mouth will help protect fans from the dry particles.
Jackie said the one item that “saves her life” is blister patches. Bandaids and shoe inserts also help add extra padding in sneakers and boots, too, so your feet aren’t totally wrecked by the end of the first day.
TikToker Mich shared the “things she wished she knew before going to Coachella for the first time,” including the average amount of steps you’ll likely walk in a day: 30,000. She added: “That’s right. You actually walk so much.”
The “bathrooms are vile, but the ones before you enter the venue are a little bit better,” she continued. “Bring snacks. I had a fanny pack with dried mango and it was a lifesaver.”
Wet wipes, Emergen-C packets, and hand sanitizer are among the other must-have items on many experienced Coachella attendees’ lists.