Are Coachella, Lollapalooza and Other Music Festivals Really Worth the Money?
Music festivals have come a long way from the dirty fairgrounds of Woodstock in 1969. What started as an expression of the counterculture has grown into a multi-billion dollar mass industry. According to the Nielsen Audience Insights Report on Music Festivals , approximately 32 million Americans attend at least one U.S. music festival each year. The attraction is simple: you can see all your favorite performances in one place at the same time for one price. But are these festivals really worth their huge money? Let’s take a look at the three biggest music festivals in the country and find out.
Coachella
Location: Indio, California.
Cost: Starting at $449 plus fees.
Headliners: Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd.
According to SeatGeek, the average secondary market ticket is $171 to see Harry Styles, $294 to see Billie Eilish, and $140 to see The Weeknd. This total cost already exceeds the entry fee for Coachella, making Coachella a theoretical deal, not even including other big names such as Doja Cat, Meghan Thee Stallion and the incomparable Danny Elfman.
Lollapalooza
Location: Chicago
Cost: Starting at $350 plus fees.
Headliners: Metallica, Dua Lipa, Jay Cole, Green Day
According to SeatGeek, the average secondary market ticket is $273 to see Metallica, $253 to see Dua Lipa, $136 to see J Cole, and $176 to see Green Day. This combined cost not only puts you above the price of a Lollapalooza sticker, it also offers a nice wide range of music genres.
Governor’s Ball
Location: New York
Cost: Starting at $319 plus fees.
Headliners: Kid Cudi, Halsey, Jay Cole
According to SeatGeek, the average secondary market ticket is $107 to see Kid Cudi, $134 to see Halsey, and $136 to see Jay Cole. It’s slightly less than the entry fee to the Governor’s Ball, but still makes for a solid deal when you factor in access to view other high-profile support acts like Migos and Jack Harlow.
There are, of course, downsides to going to music festivals instead of seeing your favorite music artists on their own tour. This includes:
- General access. Music festivals are not for the faint of heart. With no designated seating area (and no seating at all), you should be prepared to stand for hours on end. If you want to see your favorite headliner from the comfort of your bolt-on chair, choose a tour with their headliners rather than a music festival.
- Fare. Transport to and from these festivals can often be a huge headache as well as hidden costs. For Coachella, be prepared to shell out an additional $84 plus fare to get to and from the concert venue.
- Accommodation. If you’re traveling from out of town to attend the festival, be prepared to shell out some serious money for a hotel or Airbnb. Some music festivals offer campsites as a cheaper alternative, but still a must-have for your budget.
- Exhaustion. The greatest convenience of a music festival is also one of its biggest drawbacks: these events can take a lot of your energy, making it harder for you to enjoy your favorite artists performing on the later days of the festival. Before you buy your pass, imagine how you will feel on the fourth night as you move and enjoy.