Coachella Round 2: Trading Heat For Wind, The Weeknd Takeover + More

INDIO, CA — While the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is known for its untouched grounds, celebrity sightings and surprise guest appearances, Weekend 2 has a reputation for being, well, chiller — and for ironing out Weekend 1's problems.

Speaking of problems, early-arriving campers reported on Reddit that last weekend’s traffic and campground chaos had largely been resolved. Last Thursday, thousands hit the road as early as 2:30 a.m. to be among the first through the campground gates at 9 a.m., only to be met with gridlock after Goldenvoice failed to prepare for the rush.

But by Thursday morning of Weekend 2, many were happy campers.

"Fastest entrance for me in my seven years going and the best spot I’ve had since they reserved Lot 8 for Preferred campers. Thanks for the sacrifice W1!" Reddit user IslandDrummer wrote.

Those who arrived early last week endured hours-long vehicle lines in blistering desert heat with no access to restrooms, forcing some ticket-holders to relieve themselves roadside. Some reported waiting in their cars for more than 12 hours.

The festival was slammed for poor planning by press, fans on social media, and even officials at a La Quinta City Council meeting on Tuesday. A Goldenvoice representative apologized and vowed to fix the issue for Weekend 2.

"Bad press makes [Goldenvoice] do things lmao," another Reddit user quipped Thursday, acknowledging the smoother entry process.

Here’s what to expect from the desert festival’s final weekend.

The Weather

Initially, Weekend 2-goers took to social media to celebrate the promise of a much, much cooler forecast than the festival’s scorching first weekend.

And then came the dust advisory.

While Weekend 1 was hampered by a blistering heat wave, the second weekend is shaping up to be cooler — but also dustier and windier, according to the National Weather Service.

In the area around Indio, where campers have already gathered en masse, crowds may experience "unhealthy" air on Thursday that will gradually improve on Friday, when the majority of festivalgoers arrive.

On Friday, concertgoers can expect a high of 78 degrees and sunny skies with northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts as high as 20 mph. On Saturday, the high could climb to 85 degrees with similar wind conditions to the previous day. On Sunday, temps could reach 89 degrees with less wind.

Evening lows across all three days will hover between 56 and 62 degrees. In other words: bring a jacket — and maybe a face covering for all that dust.

The Lineup

While both weekends feature the same headliners and largely identical lineups, there are notable differences between Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 in terms of performances, atmosphere and overall experience.

Friday's performances across eight outdoor stages will include Lady Gaga, Mustard, Missy Elliott, Djo, Thee Sacred Souls and Erez, among others. Saturday's lineup will feature headliner Travis Scott, along with ElMalilla, Green Day, T-Pain and Gustavo Dudamel & the LA Phil. The final day of the festival will include headliner Post Malone, as well as Soft Play, Jessie Murph, Muni Long and Tripolism.

During the festival's first weekend, Sen. Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance during singer-songwriter Clairo's set on April 13, telling the crowd, "You can turn away and ignore what goes on, but if you do, you do it at your own peril."

Most notably, Ed Sheeran — a last-minute, surprise addition — will play the Mojave Stage on Saturday at 3 p.m. instead of Weezer, who filled that last-minute slot during Weekend 1.

Day Zero — a first-ever Thursday night performance inside the Coachella campgrounds — is back for round two this weekend. This time, DJ Chris Lake will be swapped out for Disco Dom by Dombresky, who takes the stage at 8:30 p.m.

"The energy will prob be even more fun than Chris Lake and it will be a great way to start the weekend with disco and funk house music. Great way to groove as the night gets chillier. Blessed," a Reddit user wrote on Thursday.

Also, The Weeknd is expected to make some sort of appearance. The singer has announced a "Ferris wheel takeover" at the festival, an immersive experience tied to his upcoming film and album, "Hurry Up Tomorrow," set to release on May 16.

Undoubtedly, there will also be variations in the headlining sets — Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Green Day and Post Malone.

During Weekend 1, some seriously huge stars surprised fans, including John Mayer, Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, Lorde and more. For Weekend 2, it is tradition not to do that (as much). Still, Weekend 2 goers will be the edge of their camp chairs on Thursday, speculating who might appear.

One Redditor was already speculating on Thursday afternoon: "Kind of bummed Charli brought out Billie, Lorde and Troye Weekend 1... I at least thought she'd do Billie and Lorde separate weekends since they are both huge. Ariana? Kesha? Iggy? The Marias bring anyone out? Maybe Bad Bunny? Could Missy Elliot bring out Ciara?"

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