I spent years attending Coachella before I figured out that the nearby parties are better — and cheaper — than the festival itself

• The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is expensive and crowded. I prefer the nearby parties.

• The first weekend of Coachella means tons of branded parties and pop-up events in Palm Springs.

• I love meeting people, seeing stars, and getting swag at these events.

I have been to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival five times, but I don’t really go for the live music anymore. Instead, I take advantage of the events and parties nearby.

After all, Coachella weekend is no longer about just one big music festival — it’s a full-on Palm Springs, California, event complete with musicians playing desert pop-up shows and influencers hosting parties in nearby mansions.

The events outside of Coachella proper don’t require a festival ticket, and they’re exactly where you can find me.

The actual Coachella music festival isn’t worth it for me anymore without a VIP ticket, which I won’t buy 

For starters, getting to the Coachella music festival is a nightmare.

It’s about an hour’s drive in traffic from downtown Palm Springs, where I live part of the year, and it can take just as long to enter the parking lot upon arrival. The alternative is a rideshare, but expect to pay at least a $100 surge price and sit in standstill traffic only for the rideshare to drop you off quite a ways away from the entrance.

Seeing multiple bands and artists spread across the Empire Polo Club’s numerous stages also requires a lot of energy and stamina. I’m not sure I have it in me to stand for hours or run from one stage to the next so I don’t miss my favorites. The lines to buy food and use the bathrooms can be incredibly long, too.

In my opinion, it’s hard to have an enjoyable time at the Coachella music festival without a pricey VIP ticket that can cost you over $1,000.

Instead, I attend the nearby parties and events — they’re often free and more fun

I love attending the many free, branded parties that happen outside and around the Coachella festival on the first weekend. They offer intimate experiences with all the perks of VIP access and without the carnival frenzy — or price tag — of the festival.

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Brands trying to showcase their new products to influencers and celebrities usually host these events, and I always meet interesting people from around the world when I go. Plus, I usually get to enjoy free food and booze, listen to live music, and grab free swag at gifting lounges.

Some of my favorite free, invite-only parties have been Rachel Zoe’s ZOEasis — last year it was at a sprawling mansion, and I got tons of free gifts — and Neon Carnival, a dance party 30 minutes from Coachella with DJs, carnival games, rides, free product samples, and celebrity sightings.

I’ve been invited to attend and cover a lot of these events as a writer, but I don’t think these invitations are that difficult to acquire, especially if you have connections who work in the music, film, or marketing industries — or even a friend with a decent social-media following.

It depends on the event, but sometimes you just need to ask to be on the guest list, or have a connection ask for you.

You can also get access to some free events just by having a certain credit card, staying at the right hotel, or signing up via email to join the guest list when someone announces a party.

It just takes a bit of research — try Googling “Coachella brand activations” or “Coachella pop-up parties.”

For other local events, you can also just buy tickets. Last year, I went to SOHO Desert House, a pop-up party with gifting, live entertainment, and unlimited complimentary food and drinks. Tickets were $200, or less than half the price of the cheapest Coachella music-festival ticket.

I got to watch Diplo perform and see Billie Eilish showcase her new perfume.

I almost always choose the parties over the music festival 

For a couple of years, I tried to go to both the music festival and the nearby parties — but I wasted a lot of time driving around Palm Springs and trekking in and out of the festival.

This year, I’m planning to skip the actual Coachella festival unless I manage to get a free VIP ticket or an artist-guest pass. Tickets are expensive and I only think Coachella is worth the full fare if you have the energy to consume numerous bands in a short time, and if there are several bands you want to see in a day.

Instead, I’ll be hitting up parties from Friday to Sunday.

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