Summer festival season is officially here. Coachella, the annual California desert bacchanal that traditionally kicks off the year's endless procession of big-ticket fests, is taking place this weekend and next at Empire Polo Club in Indio. We posted and analyzed this year's lineup way back in September, and now the fest's 2026 edition is finally getting started. This year's livestream begins today at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
To review: Our headliners this year are Sabrina Carpenter (Friday), Justin Bieber (Saturday), and Karol G (Sunday). Carpenter told Perfect magazine this week that her set will be "the most ambitious show I've ever done." It even has a stop-motion teaser:
Bieber performed only songs from last year's Swag and Swag II at his surprise warmup show two weekends ago, but he was overheard soundchecking old hits this week, and that's why HITS Daily Double thinks there has been a last-minute run on aftermarket tickets (which were already sold out). As for Karol G, she's Coachella's first Latina headliner. She recently talked to Playboy about whether she'd speak up about ICE during her performance.
Also on deck for 2026: the Strokes and last-minute addition Jack White, the xx and Jamie xx's storied collaborator Young Thug, the Nine Inch Nails x Boys Noize team-up known as Nine Inch Noize (who have a new record dropping next week), Anyma, Wednesday, Geese, Addison Rae, Turnstile, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain, Dijon, Clipse, Alex G, FKA twigs, Wet Leg, Interpol, Disclosure, Major Lazer, Laufey, KATSEYE (who are enduring some drama right now), Devo, PinkPantheress, Blood Orange, Sexyy Red, Little Simz, Central Cee, Moby, Lykke Li, the Rapture, Oklou, Joyce Manor, Suicidal Tendencies, Model/Actriz, Jane Remover, Drain, Ceremony, Blondshell, Samia, and many more. Lambrini Girls, however, dropped out due to singer and guitarist Phoebe Lunny's "acute brain injury."
This might be an especially good year to be livestreaming the fest rather than attending. Local news reports indicate some Airbnb hosts have been canceling their tenants' bookings and putting their properties back up for rent at much higher prices, such as one $2,000 reservation that was scrapped by the host and re-listed at $5,000. One woman even took advantage of the demand by renting out her laundry room for $1,381.
Coachella is touting improvements to this year's livestream. For the first time, YouTube will livestream the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, and Sahara in 4K, and you can once again stream up to four stages at once on your TV with the for multiview function. The livestream also includes a virtual store where artists including (but not limited to) BINI, Ethel Cain, Foster The People, KATSEYE, Laufey, the xx, Turnstile, and Young Thug will be dropping exclusive merch.
Below, find the livestream schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and embedded livestreams for the Main Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Sahara, Mojave, Gobi, Sonora, and Quasar stages.
