Sometimes, I worry that American society is so far gone that it will never return. Case in point: Coachella festival goers have reportedly been financing their tickets to attend.
Coachella, officially the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, put on by Goldenvoice. The festival typically showcases top artists, large-scale art installations, and trendy food trucks. But really, it’s an excuse for attendees to get blitzed out of their minds in the desert while trying to get as close as possible to celebrities.
Day Zero: the official start of Coachella. Thursday in the campgrounds. pic.twitter.com/aNq614HZxU
— Coachella (@coachella) February 5, 2025
Year after year, there are issues, including rising costs associated with tickets, logging, and sustenance. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to go. It has apparently gotten so expensive that attendees are using By Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes to experience the event, according to Billboard. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)
“Approximately 60 percent of general admission ticket buyers at this year’s festival opted to use Coachella’s payment plan system, which requires as little as $49.99 upfront for tickets to the annual concert,” the outlet reported.
A source told Billboard that festivals are changing how they market their events to include how “cheap” their downpayment is to potential attendees, who can’t afford to pay for their trip but are willing to go into debt over it.
Why Did Coachella Campers Get Stuck in an Hours-Long Traffic Jam on Thursday?https://t.co/NCUiczH9cJ
— billboard (@billboard) April 12, 2025
“Festivals are now marketing a cheap down payment as their main call to action,” the source says. “The messaging is $20 down gets you in the door, or $50 down gets you started. It’s no longer about the artists, or the festival lifestyle — the message is, ‘You can afford this if you act today.’” (ROOKE: China’s Using Unconventional Warfare To Fight Trump’s Tariffs)
Coachella’s payment plan starts at $41, equivalent to around 8% of the ticket price. Festivalgoers must pay for their tickets in full before the concert. If they cannot pay, they have ten days to keep their account up to date or risk losing their tickets. They do get a credit for their previous payments that they can use for the following year’s event. However, the credit only lasts 12 months.
Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, and Travis Scott are the headliners for Coachella 2025. Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, and Zedd also performed.
Headlined @Coachella for a not-so-little show out in the desert… and we’re gonna do it alllllll again next weekend too !!
📸: Greg Schneider pic.twitter.com/2K0Ydyuudg
— Green Day (@GreenDay) April 13, 2025
There should be a threshold for what can be financed. Concert tickets? No. Doordash? No. Clothes? No.
How desperate and stupid do you have to be if you are willing to go into debt for a concert? Our culture is so rotten that instead of looking for a way to get married, buy a home, and start a real life, 20-somethings are willing to ruin their financial future over … Lady Gaga.
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This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
