How Old Do You Have to Be to Go to Coachella, and How Much Do Tickets Cost?

With Coachella underway, people's social media feeds are flooded with photos from the music festival. However, festival-goers and social media scrollers alike are all wondering the same thing: how old do you have to be to go to Coachella?

Coachella takes place in Indio, Calif., where it can get extremely hot, windy, and dusty. Add to that the crowds Coachella brings, rowdiness, drinking, and loud noise from the concerts, and many assume that there is a minimum age requirement to enter the grounds. Is that assumption correct and, if so, what's the exact rule?

Much to festival-goers' shock, Coachella is open to all ages. In fact, general admission is free to those aged 5 and under. That said, children are not allowed to independently camp at the music festival, as there is no entry to the campgrounds for anyone under the age of 18, unless they're accompanied by a legal guardian. It's worth noting that an adult who is not the under-18-year-old's legal guardian does not suffice, presumably to ensure the child's safety.

While Coachella partners with nearby hotels, most of the hotels require at least one person over the age of 18 to be in the room. This essentially means that while a group of teenagers can attend Coachella, they can't stay the night anywhere without an adult. Of course, alcohol is only served to those who can show a valid ID proving they're at least 21 years old.

Even though Coachella's lack of minimum age requirement allows the music festival to promote itself as open to everyone, its ticket prices say otherwise. General admission tickets range from $549 to $649, while VIP passes start at $1,199. Shuttle passes are $130–$180, while camping starts at $150, but can easily go up to $400+ per night, depending on how luxurious a camping experience you're going for.

Once you add up the festival tickets, accommodations, food, and transportation, Coachella can cost an estimated $2,000–$3,000+ per person. That said, given that some music artists charge upwards of $1,000 for just a one-night concert (yes, we're judging those artists hard), Coachella's ridiculous ticket prices can be considered a steal. It can certainly be a cheaper way to see your favorite artist, and others, than going to a single show.

As one Reddit user pointed out, "Have you seen concerts lately? Last year, I saw Gaga front row, which would have cost more than my entire Coachella weekend at one of her individual shows. It’s still crazy good value if you do it right (i.e., camping)." However, not everyone agreed, as someone else posted, "It was always expensive, but now it's getting ridiculous."

At the end of the day, ticket prices are always about supply and demand. As this person so eloquently pointed out, Coachella is "still sold out though, LOL."