I Went To Coachella Weekend 1 & Now I’m A Festival Girlie
From Lady Gaga’s iconic set to the invite-only parties (with swag), it was *everything*.
After an epic 2024 fete filled with Chappell Roan’s massive crowd, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s date night in the desert, Coachella 2025 has a lot to live up to. But with headliners Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, and Post Malone leading the charge this year, the celeb-filled event in Indio, California, is well on its way to being one of the GOATs.
I’d never been to Coachella before, but felt like I had to go at least once in life after going to my first major music festival, Stagecoach, last year. So when Heineken reached out to attend the fest and check out the brand’s activation on the grounds, I had to say yes. I was given an artist wristband — the same pass many of your fave influencers and celebs get — so I had the VIP treatment throughout all of Weekend 1 to bring you along with me to the biggest music event and all the invite-only parties around Coachella Valley.
Below, you’ll find my recap of the best sets I saw, celeb sightings, and more from Coachella 2025:
Lady Gaga’s Performance Will Go Down In History
TBH, Coachella is a bit of a nightmare for my indecisive Libra moon, because there’s no way you can see all your favorite artists on the lineup. I had to make some sacrifices to see sets that were happening at different stages at the same time, while also skipping out on some of the early performances for that extra bit of rest at the hotel. That’s part of the Coachella experience — you’ll always miss something exciting that you see on TikTok later.
For instance, I was bummed to miss Bernie Sanders introducing Clairo’s set, Addison Rae’s surprising fans during Arca’s show, and XG’s closing performance on Sunday night.
Luckily, I was in the pit for Lady Gaga’s headlining set on Friday, which was the best of the weekend. The Mayhem singer built a massive opera house on stage and gave the crowd a four-act, storied performance with costume changes, dancers, throwback music video references, and dramatic moments.
It was a bold choice choice to have Lady Gaga on Friday, because it felt like she set such a high standard for everyone else to follow. However, Charli XCX really came to play on Saturday with surprise guests Troye Sivan, Lorde, and Billie Eilish. I also saw some other sets that really wowed me throughout the weekend like Missy Elliott and T-Pain, who was a dancing vibe.
I’ve had Djo’s (aka Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) new album, The Crux, on repeat, so it was fun to see him perform new songs in the pit alongside Joshua Bassett, Xochitl Gomez, and Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba. My nostalgia-loving heart appreciated seeing bands I listened to in high school like Jimmy Eat World, Green Day, and Weezer’s surprise set at the Mojave Tent. Lisa’s set at the Sahara Tent was larger than life and she was supported by her fellow BLACKPINK member Rosé and White Lotus co-stars Tayme Thapthimthong and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
There were also some sets that weren’t on my schedule that I stumbled upon that became a highlight of my weekend, like the LA Philharmonic, Jyoty and Zack Fox’s back-to-back DJ set, and Badger at the Heineken House.
Heineken House Was My Escape From The Heat
The Heineken activation was actually my go-to spot during the day because there was always a fun lineup of DJs and rappers, like The Pharcyde and Pusha T, with plenty of shade and places to sit if you needed a break. It was extremely hot during the day, so these spaces to cool off and hydrate were absolutely necessary. The bars at Heineken House were selling water as well as Heineken Original, non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0, and my favorite, the light Heineken Silver.
There was also a cool Method activation, with different rooms based on the Dream Foam Body Wash collection. You could get face jewels, touch up your makeup with some glitter, add some flowers to your hair, and relax in the air conditioning.
I wanted to check out the booths for Aperol, Buldak, and Pinterest at the festival, but I just ran out of time and the lines were kind of long. I did manage to walk by YouTube’s lounge in the artist compound. They had a photo booth, places to charge your phone, and were handing out popsicles and eucalyptus cold towels in the afternoon, which looked *amazing*. The FOMO was real on that one.
The thing about Coachella is that you don’t even have to go to the festival to experience some of the best brand activations of the weekend. Each year, celebs make their rounds to parties like Revolve Fest and Refinery29’s Lunar Lounge. I wasn’t able to stop by every activation — though I wish I could clone myself and go everywhere — but I did stop by Kendall Jenner’s 818 Outpost and Kourtney Kardashian’s Camp Poosh.
Both had booths where guests could grab swag, food, and drinks, along with DJs playing music and photo ops throughout. I really loved the 818 Outpost because it had the iconic Rhode photo booth from many of the brand’s pop-ups. I got photos taken, as well as a Peptide Lip Treatment of my choice and a tiny bottle of 818 Tequila.
The After-Hour Parties Are Worth It (If You Have The Energy & Invites)
After the Coachella daytime events are done, you can either go back home to rest for the next day or head out for the evening. I went hard Friday night and drove out to the NYLON House after-party following Lady Gaga’s set. The part-party, part-brand activation had tents where you could get glam from Ulta Beauty, manicures from Sally Hansen, and piercings from Banter.
As soon as I got there, I grabbed a NYLON House hoodie to take home, walked around, and listened to the DJ set. Celebs who also stopped by included Olivia Holt, The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Gavin Casalegno, and Ariana Madix. Dove Cameron also had a special performance that included her TikTok-viral song “Too Much.”
Other after-parties I didn’t make it to (or get the exclusive invite for) included Zenyara Desert Nights and Neon Carnival. Swift and Kelce showed up to the latter in 2024, so I didn’t have as much FOMO this year since they were MIA all weekend.
The Artist Compound Was Where The Celebs Hung Out
Having an artist pass really made all the difference, because it got me closer to the stage and made it easier for me to walk around the grounds. Each day, I had to go through the artist compound from the shuttle to the festival. This is where a lot of the musicians and influencers hung out during the day, so it is a great place for celeb spotting. I didn’t see anyone too exciting, but on Friday, I ran into Yo Gabba Gabba as I arrived.
Fun fact: The artist compound is how Harry Daniels was able to find so many artists to sing to like Charli XCX and Noah Cyrus. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner or Justin and Hailey Bieber. However, I did end up backstage when Green Day’s firework accidentally set a palm tree on fire, so that was pretty memorable.
If you don’t have an artist wristband, it’s still possible to run into your fave celebs. While lounging at the Heineken House, I saw Dylan Efron, Ariana Madix, Lukas Gage, and even content creators like Tianna Robillard.
The Best Swag I Got From Coachella
When I checked into my gorgeous room at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas on Day 1, I was given an essentials swag bag from Heineken that had pretty much everything I needed like Loop Earplugs and Supergoop! sunscreen. There was also swag from the many parties and activations that I was able to snag that were a highlight of my time. Below are some of the best items I got to bring back home with me to Los Angeles:
TL;DR: My First Coachella Was Life-Changing
Even though my feet are sore and I need several naps, I would go back to Coachella in a heartbeat. My Capricorn rising makes me a planner, but it really was those surprising moments that make the festival what it is. One minute I was watching Alex Consani do the “Apple” dance during Charli XCX’s set, the next she was walking by as I was eating a breakfast wrap in VIP.
It’s a weekend of making memories, pushing the boundaries of your fashion sense, snapping tons of pics for the ‘Gram, and listening to good music. Getting to witness Lady Gaga’s Mayhem IRL alone was transformative, so now, I can officially say I’ve been to Coachella.
