Coachella dubbed ‘literal hell’ as attendees wait 12 hours to get into campsite

Coachella is having a troublesome start this year, with attendees branding the festival “literal hell.” The famed music and arts event, which is held annually in Indio, California, attracts over 100,000 visitors each day over its two weekends. However, on Thursday, people were left waiting for more than 12 hours just to get inside the campsite, according to a Business Insider report.

Coachella branded ‘literal hell’ as attendees stuck waiting for over 12 hours

“I made a joke earlier that I didn't know Fyre Festival tickets were included in admission this year, but that's honestly how I feel,” festival-goer Adam Roberts told the outlet while waiting in his car. “I feel duped.” Though attendees receive regular promotional updates via Coachella's official app and website, they did not hear anything about the delays.

The general admission passes for Coachella range between $539 to $549, while VIP tickets cost anywhere between $1,199 and $1,399, per Billboard. Seasoned festivalgoers told the outlet that they had never seen such a condition before. Hailey Maxwell, who was heading to her fifth Coachella on Thursday morning, said, “They usually open the gates around 3:15 to 3:30 a.m. every year, which is why people wait around the area.”

While she arrived in Indio around 3 am PT, Maxwell had been stuck in line for nine hours. “We're usually at the campsite before sunrise. I'm not even to the security checkpoint yet,” she said, calling the outlet at 12:30 pm PT while still inside her car. “The directions were the same they had on the website in past years, but this time, they're directing people a different way,” she explained.

“There was no traffic control, so nobody knew where they were going. It took us four hours just to travel half a mile,” Maxwell further revealed. Two more attendees, Oliver and Kayla Standring, who arrived in line at 8 am PT, told the outlet, “I've camped another four times at Coachella, and usually it's a pretty smooth process,” adding that in the past, it has taken “two hours max” to get inside.

Kelly Jensen, who waited in line from 2 am to 2 pm, slammed the festival as “literal hell.” “It was truly the worst experience ever and also super disappointing because of how much money we spent to be at an event that we really loved. We finally got in, but no one has energy to start setting up camp.”