Legendary Coachella Festival Begins

April 17th, 2009. Thousands of music fans have driven countless hours to the dry desert in California for the opening day of the famous Coachella Festival. The arguably most exciting event of the year, aside from January’s inauguration, takes place in Indio, California in the Coachella valley, and for those who don’t know of it, it’s an annual music and arts festival that features prominently alternative, hip-hop, and electronic music as part of its acts. Temperatures usually rise to over 100°F (38°C) and there is little shade from the sweltering heat, but fans don’t care as they watch their favorite bands play into the night in the wild three-day long concert.

Yesterday, Paul McCartney, Morrissey, and Franz Ferdinand, to name a few, opened, and the list of acts playing goes on to include The Killers, M.I.A. (who replaced Amy Winehouse following legal issues), The Ting Tings, Girl Talk, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Friendly Fires, the Black Keys, and countless others. See more acts here. The festival usually attracts some celebrities, including Kelly Osbourne, Paris Hilton, Agyness Deyn, Nicole Richie, Sienna Miller, and more, as well as fans from all over the world that have flown in.

The Coachella Festival is one of the landmark dates in music this year, and if you’re lucky enough to go, enjoy it and have fun! But make sure you’ve secured a good place in the camping site, and don’t forget the water bottles.