Whether you just got home from Coachella, or if you're a newbie planning to go weekend two, or if this will be your sixth year in a row, here are useful tips for every festival-goer. After long days in the sun, eating stoner food, and getting lost in a sea of the same fashion trends on repeat, you learn a thing or two. After all, even festival veterans need a reminder—forgetting where you parked isn't just a rookie mistake. Here are some useful tips that will help you do Coachella right—next year or next weekend.
1. Security wants you to have fun and doesn't really care what you bring into the fest (for the most part). We speculate that they only check your bags for show.
2. Paying extra for VIP may not be worth it, but the biggest perks are the bathrooms. Oh, and the boozy ice pops from the Church Key.
3. Speaking of bathrooms, based on the porta potties we experienced and through process of elimination (see what we did there?) the majority of festival-goers were on Molly. Ladies, may we suggest packing a hot pink paper, courtesy of The Stand Up, that will help you pee standing up. It looks like this (not even kidding).
4. Saturdays are meant for pool parties during the day and heading to the festival at night.
5. If you want to go to Coachella weekend one next year, make any pop-up dinner reservations for Saturday or Sunday night because on Friday, the fest may still not have its shit together.
6. Head to the brand-sponsored tents for a little AC—and free stuff.
7. The latest festival trends include flash tattoos for men.
8. Write your parking location on your hand. Your phone will definitely die, and you'll need to know how to get the hell out of the lot at the end of the night.
9. While tailgating is technically not allowed on site, we highly suggest pregaming once you park to avoid $13 cocktails at the festival.
10. Pick a meeting spot, but not a mobile art installation like the caterpillar, because that giant insect moves throughout the day.
11. Get your drink wristbands right when you get there so you don't have to wait in the massive line that forms at the ID booth as the day goes on.
12. Your phone won't work, so stop trying to reload that post. Maybe just unplug and enjoy the festival without documenting it, for once?
13. Wear sunblock, drink water and have fun, you crazy kids.
See all of our Coachella photos and coverage by clicking right here.