Coachella 2010: Save Money on Concert Festivals

First things first: I don't particularly care for Rihanna but I do want to see her at Coachella at some point so she can replace her hit "Um-br-ella-ella eh eh eh eh eh…eh" with "Co-ach-ella-ella eh eh eh eh eh…eh!" I think that would be a crowd pleaser.

But enough about Rihanna let's talk about Coachella and how you can go next year without spending a small fortune.

This year at Coachella I spent a little less than $800. Below is the breakdown of the purchases I remember making:

• 3 day pass - $311.75
• Hotel for 3 days - $115.00 (I know, that's awesome!)
• Gas - about $70
• Food/drink - about $150 for the entire weekend
• Parking ticket (Oops!) - $89

BONUS activities:

• K1 kart racing - $20
• Ferris Wheel (so worth it) - $10
• Knott's Soak City (a refreshing break from the heat) - $23

I know the sticker shock of $800 for a weekend is a little much, but let me break down why this was worth it and how you can do Coachella next year for way cheaper if you want to.

First off: Why is Coachella worth it? Just look at any picture taken of the event. It was epic. The event sold out at 75,000 tickets and I heard about a ton of people sneaking in so I would put the number of attendees closer to 100,000. (See below for tips on how to sneak in…)

The lineup was incredible. So incredible that there was no way I was going to see everybody I wanted to. However I did see the following acts : Jay-Z, Muse, Tiesto, MGMT, Hot Chip, Gorillaz, Thom Yorke, Phoenix, XX, Benny Benassi, Coheed and Cambria, Miike Snow, Pavement, Spoon and Faith No More. That's fifteen bands/performers. I know I could've seen more, but I was taking it easy and that's still five acts a day. If you take the total ticket cost divided equally per act watched, I paid 20 bucks per show…That's pretty freaking awesome. Ticket value alone makes it worth it.

Add in the environment, art, celebrity sightings (I saw Camilla Belle, Emile Hirsch, Michael Angarano and--my "life completion"--Alessandra Ambrosio) and people watching (see drunk guy putting on sandals video) and you're talking about a fun-filled weekend. I highly recommend checking it out.

Now - "How to Save Money at Coachella!" (or any Concert Festival...)

1. Bring Snacks - Dropping $10-15 bucks minimum on junk food every time you're hungry is a quick drain of cash. Pack a variety of munchies to offset exorbitant festival pricing. This is doubly important if you're health conscious since there are not too many "healthy" options at the venue.
2. Buy/bring a reusable water bottle. You will absolutely want and need a ton of water…you are in the desert after all. It's only $2 bucks a pop for the disposable kind, but given you'll probably drink 12-15 over the course of the weekend the reusable bottle is the cheaper and more environmentally-conscious choice.
3. Carpool. This has so many benefits. Splitting gas is the least of them. Parking is such a nightmare at Coachella you really don't want to suffer through that experience alone. Also, who wants to drive to the middle of nowhere to see a concert without friends? If you want to make new friends Coachella has an awesome rideshare program.
4. Lodging - Find a super cheap/possibly sketchy motel close to the venue. I found the Royal Plaza Indio (3 miles from the polo fields) which offered a 3 night minimum stay for $675 total. Dividing that by the six people we had in our relatively spacious room brought the cost down significantly!
5. Sneak in - Unethical, but surprisingly easy to do. Although I didn't personally partake, I saw several people successfully accomplish this. If you want step by step instructions re-post this and message me directly on Facebook...

That's all I've got, Amigos. Hopefully you're armed with a little more info and you'll be joining me next year at Coachella 2011!

Anyone attending any concert festivals this summer? How do you plan to get your music/entertainment fix on the cheap?