How to Survive Becoming a Coachella Elder

Older festivalgoers often have the luxury of more disposable income, which matters when general-admission tickets go for $500, not including lodging, food, or transportation. As such, they are less likely to get pulled into the fast-fashion vortex than a first-timer blowing all their money just to get there. Though many remember Coachella as the home of problematic Native American headdresses in the 2010s, the main ethical problem with the fashion now is how much of it is made by people working in slave-labor conditions and then thrown away. A study from 2019 found that festivals account for 7.5 million single-use outfits a year.

“There’s so much money being spent on the festival that you can’t necessarily buy a full-price outfit from a high-end designer,” says Allen. “If you’re getting dirty or spilling things on yourself, it isn’t as much of a problem if you only spent $20 on your outfit.”

Coachella elders, meanwhile, are more likely to find their outfits at the thrift store. “Everything in fashion comes back around and the thrift shop is a literal fashion playground,” says Douglas. “You can find the best quality pieces in the thrift store, and you can wear these vintage pieces more than just one time.”

Sarah Scheideman, 39, runs the Coachella Art Studios, an interactive craft installation that has been a staple experience in the campground for more than a decade. The fashion station—which sources materials entirely from Goodwill bins—is their most popular craft, with thousands of people each weekend altering old articles of clothing. Last weekend two senior citizens attending the festival for the first time stopped by. “We loved it,” Scheideman says. “They seemed to just fit right in and were so unbothered.”

Dress for Comfort

Of course, it’s not just the youthful fits that make Coachella difficult. Partying in desert temperatures—not to mention the dust storms that can cause the so-called Coachella cough—gets harder as you age. Being comfortable was a foremost priority for nearly every Coachella elder I spoke to. “I’m often really thinking about what makes sense for being on a big, dusty, hot field for hours on end with no access to your belongings except what fits in a bag—what footwear is reasonable, what clothes will offer sun protection,” says Strauss. “My concerns are less sexy.”