The 2025 Coachella Music Festival took place over two weekends in April at the lavish Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The venue touts itself as an “unexpected desert oasis,” with 1,000 acres of manicured gardens and pristine fields.

Attendance averaged 125,000 per weekend. A basic festival pass ran $599, while VIP options started at $1,399. With extras like lodging, food and travel, the average attendee spent at least $1,000 for the weekend. Given the event’s revenue, it’s easy to see how Coachella can afford to pay a reported $10 million for a top-tier performer such as Lady Gaga. 

There are stark generational contrasts between today’s Coachella and Woodstock ’69—the festival that started it all—highlighting just how much music festivals, and the generations attending them, have changed.

Held on a dairy farm in New York’s Catskill Mountains, Woodstock was low-tech. Farmer Max Yasgur lent the land, which quickly turned into a muddy quagmire due to frequent rain during the festival. Advance tickets cost $18—or $24 at the gate—and could be bought at New York City record stores or by mailing a check to a P.O. box. Today’s teens might find that part the most unbelievable.

Organizers sold 186,000 tickets in advance, but they were unprepared for the estimated 450,000 who descended on Woodstock. The flood of attendees quickly overwhelmed the entry gates, as thousands poured in without paying.

The highest-paid Woodstock performer was Jimi Hendrix at $18,000, while the Grateful Dead received a paltry $2,500.

At Coachella, you can glamp in a tent for $12,000 per weekend—complete with A/C, private showers, golf cart shuttles to and from the gates—even massages and food delivery. Or you can rent a camper van for $4,900 (festival pass not included). At Woodstock, most slept in tents, sleeping bags or under the stars.

At Coachella, communal showers were free but operated on a set schedule. For more privacy, “super duper showers” were available for $10 a pop while VIPs enjoyed trailer-style bathrooms with A/C and mirrors. Woodstock provided no showers. Fortunately, rainstorms were free and frequent.

At Coachella, there were plenty of port-a-potties and private options for VIPs. At Woodstock, 600 toilets served 450,000 people. That’s about 750 people per toilet.

There was a variety of food choices at Coachella—everything from gourmet food trucks and pop-up restaurants offering fusion tacos, curry wraps and $350 fine-dining experiences (plus tax and a 22% fee). Bottled water was a modest $20.

At Woodstock, food ran out fast. It’s estimated that 500,000 burgers and hot dogs were consumed on the first day of the festival. When a vendor raised burger prices from 25 cents to $1, it upset the “peace and Love” crowd, so they set two concession stands on fire.

As for survival tips, Coachella guides advise packing gel insoles, charging cables, an external battery or two and earplugs. At Woodstock, many forgot shoes altogether—resulting in more than 900 foot lacerations treated by medics.

Coachella is rock and Rolex. Woodstock was rock and roll in the mud. As Sly and the Family Stone said at Woodstock, “Different strokes for different folks.” 

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