The first weekend of Coachella got off to a rough start, with festival-goers who were planning to camp for the weekend concert complaining of hourslong waits to enter the car camping area Thursday when doors first opened.
Some said they were waiting in traffic for up to 12 hours in Indio, California, without access to food, water or bathrooms and during intense heat, according to several accounts posted to social media.
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Even some who arrived as early as 2 a.m. said they were still waiting to get in several hours later. Others took to social media to advise others not to car camp in the future.
Organizers for the festival, which will run this weekend and next, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One person who posted about her experience on TikTok suggested to those who hadn’t arrived yet to use the bathroom and grab snacks before approaching the line.
Another compared the disaster to the infamous Fyre Festival.
By Friday, lines had died down, but concern remains for next weekend, when Coachella will do it all again.
The weekend lineup includes headliners such as Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, Charli XCX and Megan Thee Stallion.
Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
