Coachella 2024 first look: From new merch tent placement to the brand-new Quasar stage

The time has finally come. The wristbands are on, the gates are open, and it's time to D.A.N.C.E at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

In our first hour at the festival, we took some time to explore the grounds and check out the new art installations, new Quasar Stage and other festival improvements.

Here are five things we noticed were different at the festival this year:

The artist-specific merch tents, including Lana Del Rey's, have moved

It used to be so easy to find the headliner merch tents right when you walked through the main gates at Coachella, but this year, festival organizers did something we find very smart for crowd-control purposes: they moved them to the way back of the festival grounds.

That means if you'd like to purchase Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat or No Doubt merchandise, you'll need to bypass the main merch tent by the Ferris wheel and head all the way back to the festival. When you see the Indio Central Market, turn right, and you'll see three merch tents right by the Heineken House stage. Saturday headliner Tyler, the Creator, however, does not have a merch tent.

— Niki Kottmann

Coachella alcohol limitations (i.e. no drinking at stages) seem to have been lifted

There is one major change that might surprise you when it comes to food and drink at the festival this year. You can now walk around freely with your beer or alcoholic drink. For the first 23 years of the festival's existence, that was not the case, but in the last two years that's changed.

Beer-drinkers were always confined to the beer gardens or craft beer areas and were not allowed back onto the field until they finished their drink. That meant you couldn't bop to your favorite band with a cold one in your hand. Those days are over.

Last year, in kind of a soft opening of the concept, many attendees noticed a laxed attitude toward the traditional rule. You could buy a beer in the beer garden and walk out with it and no one would stop you. Seemed like you were getting away with something.

This year, there is no doubt about the rule change. Bars selling beers and some mixed drinks are sprinkled around the grounds, so you can purchase a drink and walk around with it just as easily as chicken fingers or churros.

— Shad Powers

The new Quasar Stage and improved/moved Sahara tent are cool, but viewing space is limited

The lobby and south end of the festivals have received a facelift to accommodate the new Quasar Stage and the new and improved Sahara tent. To the right of the Ferris wheel, the 100-foot-wide Quasar and the large open space in front of it feels like a nod to Daft Punk’s 2006 performance at the festival. The new stage features two separate walls with a triangular center and the DJ stage in the middle.

To the right of Quasar is the evolved Saraha tent, which has been expanded to 320 feet long and is now in its own area with a grassy knoll on stage left. In 2013, the tent expanded and reached a height of 80 feet. Then, in 2018, the Sahara tent moved from its long-time space near the rose garden at the Empire Polo Club to a larger space next door at the Eldorado Polo Club, by the festival entrance. The structure was also built 25% larger.

Upon first glance, it feels longer but not wider, which can also be attributed to the large guest list viewing area in front of the stage, which takes away from available GA viewing space. The stage feels the same, but now features a large UFO-shaped production screen and geodesic spheres hanging from the ceiling.

— Brian Blueskye

Coachella food and drink options have only expanded

Those looking to fuel up at the festival have a number of options available to them. The main food hub is still the Indio Central Market, located near the Outdoor Theatre. The food vendors include:

• Battambong BBQ: A Texas smoked BBQ smokehouse with Cambodian flair

• Cena Vegan: Plant-based Mexican street food

• Farmhouse Thai Kitchen: Bold and adventurous flavors of Thailand

• Burger She Wrote: Burgers made with Snake River Farms American wagyu ground beef

• Tacos 1986: Tijuana-style tacos

• Kogi: Korean short rib tacos and more

• MANEATINGPLANT: Plant-based Asian comfort food

• Ramen Hood: Plant-based ramen

• Sweetfin: Chef-driven, California-inspired poke bowls and burritos

• McConnell’s: Creamy and flavorful ice cream (flavors include churros con leche, sweet cream caramel brownie, Santa Barbara strawberry and mango sorbet)

• Prince Street Pizza: Sicilian squares and classic New York-style slices (vegetarian options available)

• Sumo Dog: Japanese-inspired hot dogs (a brick-and-mortar location of this opened in Indio in June)

• Sunny Blue: Japanese omusubi, aka rice balls

• Happy Ice: Philly water ice

Drink options include cold-pressed juices from JUICEBAE and Everbloom Coffee, Indio's own craft coffee shop.

Adjacent to the shaded market area are food vendors that offer hot chicken sandwiches and pizza. Other drink options include The New Bar, which served up nonalcoholic beverages, the Kim Crawford wine and frose bar and other cocktail and beer spots. Festivalgoers will need to secure a 21-and-older wristband to enter this area.

Around the Outdoor Theatre area is another pit stop festivalgoers can make to satisfy their cravings. Meal options include loaded fries, nachos, tacos, burgers, pastrami sandwiches, banh mi, chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese and the return of Spicy Pie pizza. Cocktails and beer are available for purchase in this area as well.

— Ema Sasic

There's new (sometimes air-conditioned) brand pop-ups such as the Method tent

If you’re looking for a more intimate hangout spot — or perhaps wanting to get a glimmering new look for your Coachella weekend — you’re sure to find some fun surprises on the grounds surrounding the Sonora, Gobi and Mojave tents.

Start with the Method space, an indoor (and air conditioned!) tent tucked away between the Sonora and Gobi stages that hasn’t been at the festival since 2019. The space, which promotes new products from the hair and skin care company, has on-site beauticians who will help people with their weekend “glow up,” offering a variety of glimmering hair and face accessories ("Change is in the hair,” advises a message on the wall inside).

The space also has a TikTok-style camera and a “virtual shower” that has some cool graphics, but is mainly for the vibes. If you can’t find it, look for the reflective bubbles outside of the tent that evoke “The Bean” sculpture in Chicago.

Nearby, if you’re looking for a cold beverage in a more intimate space, check out a few offerings directly across from the Gobi tent. The White Claw Shore Club has $16 seltzers and a raised DJ space above the bar, and its entrance includes a countdown clock that could mean “surprise guests” when the clock hits zero, or “Claw O’clock.” You can also enter a raffle to win prizes that will drop there each day.

Next door is the Aperol Spritz Piazza, adorned in orange and lots of greenery, where you can find plenty of drinks, as well as a canopy deck on the second floor. The same row of promotional offerings includes the Google Pixel Juice Bar, a covered space with plenty of sweet drinks.

— Tom Coulter

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Lana del Rey Coachella 2024 concert merch tent hidden, other early takeaways