Coachella 2025: A lineup with few stars, fewer Latinos, visa issues, and Lady Gaga as the undisputed star

Southern California residents who follow the news know what’s coming: a severe heat wave that could bring temperatures of nearly 86ºF (30°C) in Los Angeles this coming weekend. But things are worse inland: the desert will reach around 104ºF (40°C). The 100,000 attendees at the Coachella festival in Indio, which kicks off this Friday and runs through Sunday, are sure to notice. The schedule will be repeated the following weekend. By then, temperatures will likely have dropped, but not so the expectations, which are high, as they have been since 1999. But this year, the event faces several setbacks besides the heat waves: from the lineup to visa issues for its artists.

Coachella is the quintessential festival, the one that created the global imagery that is now echoed across the planet: music, good weather, casual clothing, and dancing until dawn (more or less, since doors close at 2 a.m.). These days, it may have lost some of its magical aura and exclusivity — despite the fact that the cheapest ticket costs $600 — but it still has that certain something. Although there are around 800 music festivals each year in the United States alone, Coachella remains the largest (with eight stages and concerts streamed on YouTube) and one of the season’s first, as well as the most innovative due to its attractions, technological innovation, and its vision of the event. Perhaps not so much, or increasingly less so, because of its lineup.

There’s no explosive lineup. The names were revealed in November, leaving the audience somewhat cold; since then, there have been few additions. Quite the opposite, with a couple of last-minute departures, those of Anitta and FKA Twigs. Of course, Lady Gaga will reign supreme. Organizers were able to anticipate the release of her album Mayhem in April and, of course, the announcement of a world tour.

Thus, Coachella will be the first stage where the 39-year-old New Yorker presents her latest work. She will do so on Friday, starting at 11:10 p.m. on the main stage. In her return to the festival after eight years, Stefani Germanotta will close out the first day, which also features the rapper Missy Elliott and singer-songwriter Benson Boone, known for his song Beautiful Things, with 2 billion streams on Spotify. Also on the list that day are Thai singer Lisa — at her peak after her role in the series The White Lotus — and the 1990s band The Prodigy.

Saturday’s lineup includes Green Day, another 90s staple with their dyed hair and dark leather jackets. “Come cause mayhem in the desert, it will go down in history,” the Berkeley-based band said on social media when the lineup was announced. They’ll be joined by Charli XCX, one of last season’s breakout acts, as well as The Original Misfits; Ed Sheeran will also be there on the second weekend.

The most notable thing about Saturday is that, for the first time in the festival’s quarter-century history, a symphony orchestra will play in the desert: the Los Angeles Phil, led by Gustavo Dudamel in his final year at the helm. That night, the party will be closed by rapper Travis Scott, who already seems to have been forgiven for his sins: hitting security guards in Paris and fighting on a boat in Miami (both last year), but above all for the tragedy at Astroworld in Houston, Texas, a festival where a dozen people died at a concert in 2021.

Closing the show on Sunday — the day when attendance and, hopefully, temperatures will drop — will be Post Malone, an artist who straddles country, rap, and pop, and is far more popular in the United States than in the rest of the world. Malone, a 29-year-old New Yorker, is a fan of collaborations: he has worked with Taylor Swift, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Doja Cat, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw and more. Expect some surprises on stage. Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, and Kraftwerk are among the notable appearances scheduled for the day.

This year is very different from 2023, when the headliners were none other than Bad Bunny on Friday and Rosalía on Saturday. Also from 2024, when Peso Pluma was one of the big acts on Friday, and J Balvin on Sunday, and where Bizarrap triumphed with his sets and by bringing Shakira on stage, who announced her world tour there. The Latino names are still numerous this year, but they’re written in smaller letters.

The most notable is Californian-Mexican Ivan Cornejo on Saturday, as well as Mexican artist Junior H on Sunday; there’s only one other Mexican national, El Malilla. There are also two Spaniards (Judeline and DJ Dennis Cruz), an Argentine duo (Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso), a few Puerto Ricans (part of the band The Marías and Sincerely, Manolo), and some Venezuelan performers (Rawayana).

Coachella emphasizes its mix of U.S. and international artists, also because it has the same audience mix. For example, they offer packages on their website to fans coming from Mexico. But this year, things aren’t so easy. The British singer FKA Twigs canceled her participation in the event and her entire U.S. tour this week “due to visa issues,” as she announced on social media, declaring herself “devastated.” The Brazilian singer Anitta has spoken of “unexpected personal reasons”; the exact situation is unknown.

Obtaining visas has become more complicated since Donald Trump took office. They aren’t easy to obtain. As the Los Angeles Times explains, all artist visa applications go through just three offices in the entire country: Vermont, Texas, and California. At the former, it can take two and a half months to process; at the latter, up to nine. Furthermore, it’s not cheap either. The country is very expensive for anyone coming from outside, and artists are no exception.

This festival, moreover, is especially expensive in terms of food, accommodation and basic supplies. P- and O-type visas, required to perform, can cost between $510 and $2,805 per person, as reported by the newspaper. And it’s not always certain that they will be granted. Several sources said that the atmosphere is one of uncertainty and chaos. Perhaps it’s not so much the heat as the money and the paperwork that can truly hit the Coachella fantasy with the harsh reality.

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