Why Did Kendrick Lamar & Rihanna Turn Down Coachella 2025?

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Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of discussion over the future of Coachella festival, as the massive music fest tries to find its way in an increasingly fractured music landscape. While this year’s headliners — Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler The Creator — put on an impressive show, there were still reports that the fest sold way fewer tickets than normal. And now, in another blow, it turns out the fest was reportedly unable to secure a pair of A-list headliners to ensure a sellout in 2025: Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna. So why did they turn down Coachella?

According to Bloomberg, from which the report originates, both artists are way too busy to put in the sort of work it takes to put together a Coachella-headlining-worthy set.

Kendrick is, of course, using those resources to build his Super Bowl Halftime Show headlining set, and preparing to go on a major stadium tour afterward. Meanwhile, Rihanna, who is presumably still working on her ninth album as she raises two boys with ASAP Rocky, doesn’t “need the money or the exposure.”

So what does that mean for Coachella?

Paul Tollett, president and CEO of Goldenvoice, Coachella’s organizer, is apparently searching high and low for headliners that can restore the festival to its former glory, but Bloomberg writes that Coachella may be “a victim of its own success.” The fest needs to book the biggest names to set itself apart and meet the expectations fans have set for it after 20 years, but those names don’t need Coachella anymore — they can make more from their tours or movies or multimedia empires (in one example, Bloomberg notes Coachella pays between $8 and $12 million for headliners, but Beyoncé and Taylor Swift can make $15 million).

That leaves Goldenvoice in a tough spot, for sure, but the good news is: Your favorite artists are thriving — and there’s plenty of room for new artists to move on up.

When Do Tickets For Coachella 2025 Go On Sale?

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Yesterday (April 21) was the final day of Coachella 2024. You know what that means: Time to start thinking about Coachella 2025! I’m only half-joking: While most of this year’s attendees probably want a minute to unwind from the 2024 festivities, Coachella organizers are already gearing up for 2025. In fact, mere hours ago, the dates for next year’s festival were announced.

When Do Tickets For Coachella 2025 Go On Sale?

Next year’s festival starts with Weekend 1 on April 11 to 13, 2025, followed by Weekend 2 on April 18 to 20, 2025. As for tickets, the earliest opportunity to get those will be during the Advance Sale, which starts on May 3. There’s not much specific information available about the Advance Sale as of this post, but keep an eye on Coachella’s socials and their website for more info.

Beyond ticket sales, there are some other information drops to look forward to as well. None of those have been announced yet, but we can look to historical precedent to estimate when some things might start happening. For instance, this year’s Coachella lineup was announced in January, so it wouldn’t be surprising for the 2025 lineup to arrive that January, too. Meanwhile, assuming ticket pricing stays mostly the same between this year and next, the 2024 prices could be indicative of what to expect next year.

What Are The Dates For Coachella 2025?

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Coachella 2024 closed less than 12 hours ago. Headliners Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler The Creator delivered, as captured in photos by Uproxx’s Philip Cosores, and Sabrina Carpenter edited her outro of “Nonsense” to tease, “Coachella, see you back here when I headline.” There’s a substantial wait before the Coachella 2025 headliners are announced, but the annual festival wasted no time in announcing its 2025 dates.

What Are The Dates For Coachella 2025?

Early Monday morning, April 22, Coachella confirmed that Coachella 2025 will kick off with Weekend 1 on April 11 to 13, 2025 and return for Weekend 2 on April 18 to 20, 2025. The festival will, yet again, happen at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. According to Coachella’s announcement, the Advance Sale for 2025 tickets begins on Friday, May 3.

Using the past as the guide, Coachella 2025 lineup, including the headliners, will probably be announced in January 2025.

Prices for 2024 tickets will probably be instructive for 2025 prices, and General Admission three-day passes were listed as follows for this year’s festival: Tier 1 ($499 plus fees), Tier 2 ($549 plus fees), and Tier 3 ($599 plus fees). VIP weekend passes were also offered in two tiers — Tier 1 ($1,069 plus fees) and Tier 2 ($1,269 plus fees).

Learn more about Coachella 2025’s Advance Sale and past ticket prices by visiting Coachella’s official website here.