Coachella Attendees Shocked by ‘Outrageous’ Prices for Food and Drinks

Coachella kicked off this weekend in Indio, California—still holding the crown as one of the biggest and most profitable music festivals in the USA (and honestly, the world). This year’s headliners? Lady Gaga, Green Day, Travis Scott, Post Malone… and yep, Julia Fox made her appearance too.

But forget the music for a sec—we need to talk about something even crazier: the Coachella food and drink prices. Festival-goers and people online were left completely shocked at how expensive everything was. And that’s after already dropping a minimum $599 ticket price just to get through the gates.

From overpriced snacks to drinks that cost as much as a nice dinner, the whole thing has fans questioning whether the Coachella experience is worth the insane cost.

Coachella kicked off last weekend and thousands of netizens are exchanging their emotions and experiences

For example, many people claim that the food and drinks are extremely expensive at the festival

Of course, attending Coachella isn’t exactly cheap—the days of Woodstock’s low-cost, laid-back vibe are long gone and likely never returning. But when you see the prices for food and drinks, it really drives home how expensive the festival has become. For instance, user @MYFriendGavin on X shared this year’s Coachella alcohol price list, and many netizens pointed out just how inflated the prices seem.

TikToker Ruth Viveros shared her first-day Coachella experience, and let’s just say the food prices had her in shock. She dropped a jaw-dropping $102 on one plate of loaded nachos, three tacos, and two lemonades that cost $17 each.

Her review? “It’s mostly ice, but it’s so good!” she joked sarcastically about the drinks. To make things worse, Ruth said the tortillas in the tacos were “freezing cold,” which didn’t help the situation.

Overall, she rated the Coachella food a disappointing 5/10—and that’s after paying luxury prices for what felt like low-quality meals.

This story has people online debating whether the Coachella ticket price plus overpriced food and drinks is really worth the hype of attending the festival.

There’s an entire thread on Reddit where people have been sharing the prices of food and drinks at Coachella this year, and the general consensus is that everything is extremely overpriced. Sure, everything’s been getting more expensive lately, but some commenters have dubbed these prices “diabolical.”

Just to give you an idea of the Coachella food prices—Nate’s Nashville hot chicken slider with fries goes for a wild $30. A simple slice of pepperoni pizza? $11. And chicken tenders with fries? That’ll set you back $20.

Most items at the festival start around $15–20, with the average plate falling somewhere between $20–30. Basically, eating at Coachella feels more like dining at an overpriced airport than a music festival.

Sure, you’re paying for the experience of seeing top music headliners live, but the festival food and drink costs definitely hit hard on top of the already expensive Coachella ticket price.

The official Coachella website proudly says their “food program features new and exciting restaurants from coast to coast, plus all your favorite staples—offering a wide variety of cuisine for every festival-goer. Vegan & gluten-free options available.”

Sounds amazing, right? But what they don’t mention is the part that really matters—the Coachella food prices. The site talks up the variety of food, but skips over the fact that most meals cost between $20–30, with drinks like lemonade running around $17 each.

So while it’s nice to see vegan festival food and gluten-free options, attendees are left to find out the hard way just how expensive it all is. The hidden costs of music festivals hit hard when you realize your lunch might cost as much as your monthly grocery bill.

In fact, last year, the general admission weekend pass was $560, and it’s $599 now

So, how much more expensive is Coachella today compared to the past? Short answer—way more. The prices have jumped big time.

Just last year, the BBC reported that a general admission weekend pass cost about $560, and one attendee spent nearly $350 on food and drinks alone. That’s almost an extra ticket price just to stay fed and hydrated for the weekend.

Look back a little further and it’s even more shocking. In 2015, a Coachella general admission ticket was $375. Go back to 2012, and it was only $315. In just over a decade, ticket prices have basically doubled.

When you stack rising festival food and drink costs on top of the already steep Coachella ticket prices, it’s clear that attending the festival has become one of the most expensive music festival experiences in the USA.

The prices have been growing continously from year to year at Coachella

The prices at Coachella just keep climbing year after year. Not only have ticket prices gone up, but the food and drink costs are now one of the biggest complaints online. A quick scroll through Reddit threads from past years shows the same outrage again and again: overpriced food and questionable quality.

What’s interesting is that the Coachella food prices this year are pretty much the same as last year. So maybe it’s not just inflation—it might also be our expectations catching up with reality.

Some commenters pointed out the obvious—it’s California, where food and drinks are already pricey. And let’s be real, Coachella is a business. It’s designed to turn a profit. With more than 125,000 attendees at just the first weekend, the festival knows people will still pay, no matter the cost.

Still, others were not having it. Reports came in of $7–8 for a tiny taco, $10–12 for a regular hot dog, and even $17 lemonades. And on top of that? Long lines and frustrating wait times. Paying premium prices for festival food that feels low-quality definitely stung for a lot of people.

But here’s the thing—since Roman times, people have only wanted two things: “bread and circuses.” And Coachella serves both, just with a hefty price tag. As long as thousands keep flying in from around the world every spring, the festival knows fans will pay for the full experience—live music, festival vibes, and yes, overpriced food.

So what do you think? Are the Coachella ticket prices + food costs worth it for the experience, or is it just hype with a crazy bill attached?