Coachella Day 1
Music’s Hottest Take Over Cali Desert
Published
Coachella 2026 has officially kicked off … and night 1 came and went with a blur of some of the industry’s biggest names.
As you know, Sabrina Carpenter made her headlining debut on the main stage and used all the tricks up her sleeve — opening her set with a cinematic short film during which a police officer played by Sam Elliott warned her to stay away from California.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Obviously, she didn’t listen … and gave a stellar performance, including her biggest hits and cameos by Samuel L. Jackson, Will Ferrell, and Susan Sarandon. But the electricity didn’t end with Sabrina …
You can see in our gallery the vibes were high on all the stages in Indio, California, where the iconic festival has been going on since its inaugural event in October 1999. KATSEYE gave an energetic performance on the Sahara stage, notably without Manon Bannerman, who took a hiatus from the group to focus on her health.
EDM’s leading heartthrob John Summit also had fans dancing to his transcendent beats.
It was a night full of collaborations — some being surprises to the delight of fans. Sexyy Red performed with Central Cee and Lizzo, Teddy Swims jammed with David Lee Roth and Joe Jonas, and Swae Lee welcomed Jhene Aiko to the stage.
Saturday is Justin Bieber‘s big headlining night … and fans are pining for tickets and have even shot up resale values as a result. We told you all about it … he’s planning on playing classics like “Sorry,” “One Less Lonely Girl” and “Boyfriend” — some of which he was spotted performing during a recent soundcheck in the desert.
He even dropped merch ahead of his big gig, which Kylie Jenner sported as she kicked off her Coachella festivities Friday. We might be getting a new case of Bieber Fever!