The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival returns to the Greater Palm Springs for two weekends this April (12-14 & 19-21). Around 90,000 happy people will be moving to the music for hours on end under blue skies and palm trees. To sustain enough energy to make it to the festival’s headliners – which this year are Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat – festival-goers need to eat and drink.

In fact the top-billed artists may hint at that as Lana Del Rey has a song called “Diet Mountain Dew”, Tyler the Creator has a song called “Smuckers” and Doja Cat has a song called “Candy.”

Luckily, attendees will be able to do a lot better than Diet Mountain Dew, Smuckers and Candy as there are a plethora of food and drink options at Coachella! 
 

Indio Central Market

The primary hub for food – and shade – is the centrally located Indio Central Market which is a large open-air market with 14 restaurant booths shoulder to shoulder with each other.

The Indio Central Market has a little bit of everything from pizza and barbecue to vegan options and dessert places.

The market also features restaurants that aren’t afraid of a little wordplay like Burger She Wrote and Ramen Hood.

Here is the full list of places you should keep an eye out for Prince Street Pizza, Sweetfin (Poke), Tacos 1986, Sumo Dog, Battambong BBQ, Cena Vegan, Farmhouse Thai Kitchen, Burger She Wrote, Kogi (tacos), MANEATINGPLANT, Ramen Hood, McConnell’s (ice cream), Sunny Blue (rice balls) and Happy Ice (shaved ice).

But, of course, those aren’t the only food options on the grounds. There are various other eateries and food hubs spread across the vast grounds that are available to everyone, while others are located inside areas that only a VIP ticket can get you into.
 

The Terrace

The Terrace is the place for your classic festival grub that, just for this special weekend, you can forget about your diet and go hog-wild or plant-based-wild on something tasty where healthiness isn’t your primary priority. The Terrace North and Terrace South lineup includes:

Monty’s Good Burger (plant-based burgers), New School Quality Grilled Cheese, Grindz Hawaiian, Chipapas (Latin street food), TKB (a local Indio-based sandwich shop), Afters Ice Cream, Forever Pie (plant-based pizza), Fatty Mart (sandwiches, wraps and more), Pies and Lows (pizza), Miya Miya (shawarma), Dog Haus, Big Belly Burgers, Yogis Teriyaki, Ghostix (corn dog), and Fat Dragon (Chinese kitchen).

Inside the Beer Barn area, you’ll find Prince Street Pizza, The Goat Mafia (birria), Sumo Dog and Chris N Eddy’s (sliders).

At what’s known as the Coachella Courtyard will be Big B The Chief (soul food), Mano Po (Filipino), Heritage L.A. (Mexican), La Michoacana on Wheels (Mexican)

At the Do Lab, you can eat Slingers (sliders) or Fuku (fried chicken)

Over by the Outdoor Theater, you can find the old reliable Spicy Pie (a personal favorite for tasty pizza slices) and Nash & Proper for Nashville hot chicken.
 

VIP Only

If you happen to have a VIP wristband, you can eat in the 12 Peaks or Rose Garden VIP areas at these restaurants not available to general admission wristband wearers.

12 Peaks VIP: Alfalfa (salads, doughnuts, breakfast burritos), Backyard Bowls (acai bowls, smoothies), Bang Bang Noodles, Chick Next Door (fried chicken), My Lai (Vietnamese), Oakberry x Kapowder (smoothies, acai bowls), Ronan (pizza), Something Good LA (American fare), Valley Fusion (Sushi and teriyaki rolls).

Rose Garden VIP features:  KazuNori (hand rolls), Love Hour (crispy smash burgers), Post & Beam (California cuisine), Woodfire Wings, MìLà by XCJ (modern Chinese). 
 

Outstanding in the Field

For the ninth straight Coachella, this communal dining experience offers one of the most memorable experiences you can have on the grounds.

It’s a four-course meal served outdoors at one extra-extra-extra-long table for you and 199 of your closest friends (or strangers that will be friends by the end of the meal). Each day a different chef is responsible for feeding the festival-goers.

This year that honor goes to:

Friday, April 12: Javier Plascencia of restaurants Erizo and Caffe Saverios who specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine

Saturday, April 13: Jo Barrett (Little Picket) and Josh Niland (Fish Butchery) will team up for the meal which you can bet will have at least some seafood on the plate.

Sunday, April 14: Burt Bakman of the restaurant SLAB, a Texas native serving up barbecue from the Lone Star state in California.

Friday, April 19: Ilan Hall of Top Chef fame will delight the patrons with his culinary acumen to start weekend two of the festival.

Saturday, April 20: Gabe Kennedy of the restaurant Checker Hall showcases his cuisine which is equal parts Mediterranean and California-inspired.

Sunday, April 21: Karla Subero Pittol of the restaurant Chainsaw is a Venezuelan-born chef who has been inspired by her Los Angeles upbringing. She will put out an amazing meal, and don’t leave before the dessert, one of her specialties.

Tickets for Outstanding in the Field are $350 and include a welcome cocktail, wine, and all-day access to the VIP Rose Garden.
 

Drinks and more!

Water, lemonade, domestic beer, those are easy to find out on the grounds, but there are some special watering holes if you’re looking for a little something extra.

The Beer Barn: Offers an expansive selection of craft beer options from IPAs to sours, kombucha to lagers and everything in between.

AbsolutLAND: Absolut is the official vodka of the festival and you can get in on a traditional drink like a Cosmo, or as part of what they are calling a “one-of-a-kind blended activation.”

Block Party: Located in the Outdoor Theater Bar area, this replicates a modern cocktail bar that can be found in Highland Park with a back patio and DJ.

The Cabin: Escape from the sun in this cozy mountain atmosphere of The Cabin which is dropped onto the grounds near the Beer Barn but makes you feel like your in the woods somewhere.

Everbloom Coffee: The Indio-based coffee spot will be easy to find around the grounds.

Kim Crawford: Grab a wine or cool off with a FROSÉ - frozen Rosé at various location across the grounds. 

International Delight Cold Foam House: Here you can be your own barista.

JUICEBAE: Exotic cold pressed juice you can find at the Indio Central Market

Lil Boba-Cita: This spot near the Do Lab has Paletas, ice cream macaroons and emoji mochi donuts as well as, of course, boba tea.

Menotti’s Coffee: Back for another year as a coffee option.

Milkshake Wasted: Off-the-wall milkshake creations? Yes, please.

PDT Tropicale: Following in the long tradition of hidden bars at Coachella, if you find this one, you will find innovative yet unpretentious cocktails.

Samra Origins: Another coffee option, this one celebrating the best of Ethiopian coffee and culture and it’s fittingly co-created by The Weeknd, former Coachella headliner. It’s in the 12 Peaks VIP spot.

Sonny’s by Attaboy: Take a step back into the 1980s with this Miami Vice-themed bar with retro cocktails and time-appropriate tunes.

The New Bar: For those who prefer their drinks sans alcohol. This full bar is stocked with a curated selection of non-alcoholic festival-inspired cocktails, wine and beer.

So there you have it. You can’t just dance and sing all day and night at Coachella, you have to take time out to eat and drink. Here’s hoping this helps you stay healthy and hydrated while you’re dancing under the palm trees and blue skies.