The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella, Coachellafest or Coachella Festival)
is a multi-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice
(a subsidiary of AEG Live) and held at the Empire Polo Club in
Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley.
The event features many genres of music including rock, indie,
Hip Hop and electronic music as well as large sculptural art.
The event has several stages/tents set-up throughout the grounds,
each playing live music continuously.
The main stages are: Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre,
Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent.
(2006 also saw the addition of a smaller Oasis Dome).
On May 31, 2011, Goldenvoice announced that the festival will
be held over two separate weekends, starting in 2012.
The Coachella Music Festival has a desert setting
(the city of Indio is a part of the California Desert), with daytime
temperatures frequently rising to over 100 °F (38 °C).
The festival enjoys little cloud cover or shade.
The temperature drops drastically after sunset.