Camila Mendes Looks Back on Her First Coachella with the “Riverdale” Cast: 'Young and Doe-Eyed' (Exclusive)

The actress — who is teaming up with Aperol during the 2024 Coachella weekend — talks her favorite festival memories

Coachella weekend is finally here — and it isn't Camila Mendes' first rodeo.

"I feel like a festival pro because I grew up in Miami, and music festivals are such a part of Miami culture," the actress tells PEOPLE. "I started going to them when I was a teenager, and I just feel like I really have the whole system down pat. I know exactly what to pack and how to put the schedule together and also get time to go to the bathroom and get a bite. I'm so good at building this festival itinerary. I'm the leader of the group when we go."

This year, Mendes, 29, says her Coachella crew is a group of six friends, including her boyfriend and Música costar Rudy Mancuso. She also plans to reunite with her fellow Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart during the weekend.

"I'm excited to see her," she says. "I think one of my favorite Coachella memories was my first Coachella, which was with the cast of Riverdale. We all decided to go together. It was the first time we'd ever done anything like that, and it was just really exciting. We were young and doe-eyed."

Related: Camila Mendes Gave Boyfriend Rudy Mancuso a Riverdale 'Crash Course' — and He 'Loved It'! (Exclusive)

Style-wise Mendes says she's been "loving" the Mary Jane ballet flat trend lately.

"I'm a big fan of that," she says. "I think I'll be trying to keep it as light and flowy as possible. I'm not crazy into the cowboy aesthetic. I feel like when I go to Coachella, I try to evoke more of a breezy, bright feeling. My approach to Coachella style is always functional and simple and classic, just keeping it very minimal so that I can just enjoy myself and I don't want to be fussing around with an outfit."

As for the lineup, Mendes is "really excited" to see Lana Del Rey's headlining set.

"She is someone I've never gotten to see live before and I love her music, so I'm really excited about that," she says. "There's a ton of other smaller artists that I've heard a song here or two, and I'm excited to hear more and discover new artists. That's one of my favorite parts about going to music festivals."

Related: A Guide to All the Coachella 2024 Parties and Events

When she's not catching sets, Mendes will be hanging out with Aperol at their Aperol Terrazza located within the 12 Peaks VIP area. On the main GA grounds will be the Aperol Piazza offering unique photo moments and digital activities for guests over 21.

Aperitivo hour at the Aperol Terrazza in the VIP section will happen three times daily, at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. There, guests will learn how to make the perfect Aperol Spritz and experience traditional Italian aperitivo with a selection of paired bites.

At 6:30 p.m. daily at the Piazza, there will be a golden hour celebration with bubbles, polaroid photos and more.

"Honestly, it couldn't be more of a perfect fit," Mendes says. "Aperol Spritz is the go-to drink for me and my friends when we get together. As soon as I found out they were interested in partnering with me, I freaked out because it's just such a tradition for me and my best friends. I have an orange tree in my backyard and around the summertime we always go back to the tree and grab the oranges and make little Aperol Spritzes fresh at home, so I'm really stoked to be partnering with them this year."

Though she doesn't host "very often," Mendes says she tries to "stay in the moment" as much as she can during times she does.

"I feel like sometimes you're running around hosting and you don't even get to really enjoy the company of all the people you've invited, so I think it's about not holding yourself to this unrealistic expectation of being perfect and just enjoying the moment with your friends," she says.

Related: Inside Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso's 'Intense' On-Set Love Story: 'Chemistry from the Moment We Met' (Exclusive)

After Coachella, Mendes will be busy over the next several months with new projects, many of which she can't talk about quite yet.

"There are a few things that I'm in post-production for as a producer, and I'm really excited about those projects," she says. "There's also a couple things I'm developing right now. I'm just excited to lean into the things that creatively excite me."

She's been enjoying every second of Música's success in the meantime.

"I'm beyond thrilled," she says. "This project was such a labor of love and something so personal to me and Rudy, so it's just so amazing that this is being loved by critics and the people as well. It's the best-case scenario, and I'm just really excited for what's next."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.