'It's literal hell': Coachella festivalgoers say they've been waiting in traffic for 12 hours to get into the campgrounds

• Coachella attendees told Business Insider they've been waiting up to 12 hours to get into the campgrounds on Thursday.
• Festivalgoers said the process hadn't taken more than two hours in previous years.
• Sources told BI that people had to pee on the road, ran out of gas, and have yet to hear from Coachella officials.

Coachella 2025 is off to a slow start.

Attendees of the festival, which takes place every April in Indio, California, told Business Insider they'd spent up to 12 hours waiting to get into the campsite on Thursday — and some still haven't made it in.

"I made a joke earlier that I didn't know Fyre Festival tickets were included in admission this year, but that's honestly how I feel," Adam Roberts told BI while waiting in his car. "I feel duped."

Festivalgoers, who paid at least $800 each to attend, said they hadn't heard any news on the delays despite receiving updates in the official app and Instagram promoting partnerships with Amex and Nobu.

Representatives for Coachella didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

'I've never seen lines this long'

BI spoke to several seasoned Coachella veterans who have repeatedly camped at the music festival. None said they had seen anything like what they experienced on Thursday morning.

Hailey Maxwell was heading to her fifth Coachella when she arrived in Indio around 3 a.m. PT. While the official website states that camping opens at 9 a.m. on the Thursday before the festival — which runs from Friday to Monday — Maxwell said that typically hasn't been the case in the past.

"They usually open the gates around 3:15 to 3:30 a.m. every year, which is why people wait around the area," Maxwell said. "We're usually at the campsite before sunrise. I'm not even to the security checkpoint yet."

Maxwell had been in line for nine hours when she called BI from her car around 12:30 p.m. PT.

"The directions were the same they had on the website in past years, but this time, they're directing people a different way," she said. "There was no traffic control, so nobody knew where they were going. It took us four hours just to travel half a mile."

Oliver and Kayla Standring, who arrived in line at 8 a.m. PT, told BI they instantly knew it would be bad.

"I've camped another four times at Coachella, and usually it's a pretty smooth process," Oliver Standring said, adding that it's taken "two hours max" in years past.

A lack of toilets and food

Festivalgoers told BI that one of the biggest issues was the lack of restroom access while they waited.

"It's the middle of the desert; there isn't a bush to hide behind," Kayla Standring said. "I had to open both of the car doors to block myself, then the girls in the car behind us saw, and they started doing that. I started a revolution for the women."

"People are peeing in cups," said Roberts, who arrived around 4:30 a.m. PT. "It's been eight hours; people gotta do what they gotta do."

Many attendees said they'd stopped drinking water so they wouldn't have to keep peeing on the side of the road. But that means getting more dehydrated in the desert heat.

"It's already really hot outside," Maxwell said. "My car is air-conditioned, but if it weren't, I would be dying. I know people's cars are overheating, and some people have already run out of gas."

Kayla Standring said she saw people walk a mile to the closest Rite Aid to get supplies while Zoe Bush and her friends used DoorDash to deliver food to their car.

"I have gone five years now and have never had it be even remotely bad. It's always smooth sailing," Bush told BI. "But our group drove eight hours from the Bay Area and are currently running on two hours of sleep."

Zero communication

When Kayla Standring asked a security guard what was happening, she said he told her to "download the Coachella app" to find out. However, every festivalgoer who spoke to BI said they hadn't received any communication from Coachella staff and that there was also a lack of signs or traffic control on the ground.

Attendees have flooded one of Coachella's most recent Instagram posts — promoting a Nobu omakase experience — to demand answers. They have also tried to take matters into their own hands, whether seeking solutions via Reddit boards or contacting city officials.

"People in my group were calling the police and letting them know what is happening because, at this point, it's a health hazard," Maxwell said. "So the Nobu thing felt really out of pocket to post and not at all address what's happening."

"I've done many music festivals. People understand that sometimes things happen, but no communication is what makes it frustrating," Roberts said.

Mixed feelings

As attendees prepare for the three-day festival, the start of this year's Coachella experience has left some feeling defeated while others are trying to keep up their morale.

Kelly Jensen, who was stuck in line from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m., finally made it to the campground, but she said the ordeal was "literal hell."

"It was truly the worst experience ever and also super disappointing because of how much money we spent to be at an event that we really loved," Jensen, who has been to Coachella four times, told BI. "We finally got in, but no one has energy to start setting up camp."

"Given this experience, I would never camp again — and camping is a big part of these experiences," Roberts said. "I'm sure once we get there, things will be better, but this is absolutely not the way to start the event."