The Major Differences Between Coachella Vs Austin City Limits

For music lovers, summer is synonymous with festival season. Each year, starting in late spring music festivals are held all across the United States. Attending festivals has become an incredibly popular summer pastime and you could probably attend a different fest every weekend if you wanted to. Coachella, which occurs yearly in April, is one of the earliest festivals, and kicks of the season in style. Images of social media influencers decked out in their Coachella outfits flood Instagram feeds for weeks after the event, leaving the rest of us with a lingering sense of FOMO.

Austin City Limits, another world famous music festival, rounds out the season with a bang in early October. If you're dreaming of attending one of the most iconic festivals — you won't want to miss Coachella and Austin City Limits. They're two of the best music festivals in the USA and attract thousands of music enthusiasts from around the world, but they each offer a unique experience. Both are worth attending, and they have enough differences to avoid feeling repetitive if you choose to go to both.

Coachella is likely one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of a music festival — probably because it's become so trendy. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual event spread out over two three-day weekends in April. It's located in the beautiful desert of Indio, California which is about two hours from Los Angeles. In total, the festival lasts six days.

Attending Coachella has become a kind of status symbol, but so is performing. Each year, some of the world's most famous musicians take over the stage. Since Coachella's inception in 1999, countless legendary performances have occurred. Attendees can enjoy a variety of genres including pop, rock, hip-hop, and EDM. Beyonce, Daft Punk, Billie Eilish, Prince, Rage Against the Machine, and Amy Winehouse are just a few artists who have graced one of Coachella's eight stages. Even Tupac, who passed away in 1996, made a guest appearance as a hologram.

Ticket sales are capped around 250,000, and about 125,000 people attend the festival each day. It's a popular palace to see and be seen, and tons of celebrities go each year. Coachella fashion is a huge deal and big brands sponsor tons of influencer content at the festival. Some music lovers criticize the festival for being overly rooted in capitalism and inaccessible for anyone that isn't wealthy or famous. Coachella offers several onsite camping options, but many attendees choose to lodge offsite at hotels or vacation rentals. A massive ferris-wheel and art installations are a few of the non-musical attractions. The least expensive general admission tickets to Coachella cost between $540 and $600 per weekend but can cost as much $1,299 for a one-weekend VIP ticket. Camping costs extra.

As the festival's name implies, Austin City Limits (ACL) is located in Austin, Texas. Austin is one of the best U.S. destinations for music lovers to add to their bucket lists, and has been dubbed the Live Music Capital of the World. Like Coachella, ACL spans six days over two weekends. It's held annually in early October. Around 450,000 people attend the festival each year, which means it's quite a bit larger than Coachella.

ACL was named after a popular music television program, and the first festival was held in 2002. You'll find a variety of musical genres represented at the festival including country, hip-hop, folk, rock, and EDM. There are nine different stages and over a100 different performances throughout the two-weekend event. It's held within Zilker Park along the Colorado River and is under 10 minutes from downtown Austin. There are no on-site camping options at ACL, so festival attendees must make reservations at a nearby hotel, vacation rental, or campground.

The Black Keys, Florence and The Machine, Arcade Fire, Metallica, Kendrick Lamar, Neil Young, and many other musical icons have performed at past festivals. In 2025 artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Hosier, The Strokes, Zeds Dead, Modest Mouse, and Doja Cat are set to headline. Tickets to Austin City Limits start at $390 per weekend for general admission, making it a significantly more affordable option in comparison to Coachella. The VIP experience at ACL is more expensive, with options starting around $1,760. You can purchase a 3-Day All Access Pass to the festival for a whopping $27,000. No matter which event you attend, make sure you avoid bringing this popular type of luggage to a festival.