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Inside the ‘influencer Olympics’: What Coachella tells brands about gen Z

A gen Z reference point, Coachella is where you can see in real time how gen Z discovers, engages with and ultimately chooses brands.
Coachella gen z
Festivalgoers are seen during the first weekend of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Indio, Calif. Image: Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP via AAP Photos

Coachella kicked off last weekend. If you’re not watching it, you’re missing one of the most revealing brand events on the calendar.

Coachella is one of the world’s most-watched music festivals. Now in its 25th year, it draws more than 125,000 people a day across two weekends in the California desert. But the real audience is the millions watching globally through their phones. This isn’t just a physical event, but a content engine.

For brands, it has nothing to do with the music.

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