This April is when thousands of festival goers head out for the Indio desert for 3 days (or 6 if you can handle it) of musical bliss. Even if you don’t have actual wristbands for the main event there are a ton of parties going on around town during both weekends that offer big name musical talent, free booze, pools, rides, gift bags and a whole lot of other crap. So the point of this list is to give you a lot of options to choose from while you’re in the area and looking for a break from the fest to recharge or pregame.

Vestal Village



Held at a private location near by the Empire Polo Fields this is one of the destinations that everyone tries to get into. Vestal Village is a private, invite-only event spanning the course of four days from April 14th through 17th. The village will offer live music/DJs, VIP camping, pool parties, open bar, free shuttles to the festival and everything you need to stay on their grounds for the 4 days. We were able to score a spot at Vestal Village and this is an invite only affair. So you’re going to have to ask a friend of a friend or maybe “know” someone inside to try to get in. But we know you guys are resourceful. Click on the link below for more info on Vestal Village.

RSVP: Vestal Village at Undisclosed Location on 4/14-4/17

Desert Gold

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs will host Desert Gold once again with 10 full days of programming including parties with The Do-Over, Burger Records, Know Wave: Don’t Cry, How Many Virgins? and Don’t Beg. The parties will kick off on April 14th and are completely free to attend. All it’s going to cost you is a quick RSVP to get your name on the list. These days fill up fast and the RSVP does not guarantee your entry. Each lineup will be announced soon and you know we’ll have it listed here soon.

RSVP: Desert Gold at Ace Hotel & Swim Club on 4/14-4/25

Base Camp

Those of you that didn’t get in for the on-site festival camping will have another choice with Base Camp. They offer RV hookups, camping sites, shuttles to the fest, hot air balloon rides and even bottle service while you stay for the weekend. But as for parties they will host beach parties during both weekends of Coachella and feature curated DJ sets and cocktails pool/lakeside. Base Camp is for the 21 and over crowd only and open for parties from 12 through 6pm which is perfect for the pregame. You can RSVP now for the beach parties through the link below and get your whole crew on the list.

RSVP: Base Camp in Thermal on 4/14-4/18 and 4/21-4/25

Day Club Palm Springs

This is one of those events where you can actually skip the festival and just party it up all day long next to a pool with acts like Skrillex, Rae Sremmurd, All Gone Pete Tong, Mr. Carmack, Dirty South, Cash Cash, Thomas Jack, Lido, Bob Moses, TOKiMONSTA, Dubfire and more hitting the stage. You can click HERE for individual day lineups. These parties will take place during both weekends of the Indio festival at the Hilton in Palm Springs. Unlike the fest these parties are only for the 21+ crowd. Tickets are available to purchase online now through Eventbrite and will start at $20.00 plus fee for daily shows or you can buy a weekend pass for $50.00 plus fees. Get on them now through the links below.

Purchase: Tickets for Dayclub Palm Springs on 4/15-4/17 (weekend 1)

Purchase: Tickets for Dayclub Palm Springs on 4/22-4/24 (weekend 2)

Not A Pool Party

Collide is back with a Coachella kick off party to get you ready for the main event. Taking place at Bardot inside of the Hard Rock Hotel they will have live sets by Dan Deacon, James Supercave and Magic Wands. Taking on DJ suties will be Andy Rourke of The Smiths, KAV, DJ Clifton and more. This 21 and over party is going to be for weekend 1 only on Thursday, April 14th from 9-1am. Anyone can get on this list by RSVPing through the link we included below. BTW this one will also feature an open bar, so get to it.

RSVP: Not A Pool Party at Bardot on 4/14

Pandora Indio Invasion

Pandora will be in the desert for their own party and they’re bringing in Walk The Moon and Prince Fox to hold down the DJ sets while you drink some free booze and chill by the pool. This party will be held on Saturday, April 16th at the Cree Estate in Cathedral City from 1 - 4pm. This is for the 21 and over crowd and getting on the list is pretty easy. Just click on the link below and you’ll head over to the RSVP page.

RSVP: Pandora Indio Invasion at Cree Estate on 4/16

Lights Down Low

The boys from Lights Down Low are taking the party to Palm Springs this year. No info on who will be on the bill, but the lineup should be coming out in the near future. What we do know is that it will be held on Sunday, April 17th over at The Saguaro Hotel. Those of you that are familiar with Splash House will recognize their pool area and all of the debauchery that goes down there. Head to the Facebook event page for more info when it comes out.

Update: Dam Funk, Lee Foss and Juan Maclean will play this poolside rager during the day and there will be some all nighters to mention very very soon.

RSVP: Lights Down Low at The Saguaro on 4/17

Republic Coachella

Republic Records will be in La Quinta and bring in artists under the label to perform at a private estate during weekend 1 of Coachella. DNCE, Of Monsters and Men, Prince Fox, James Bay and more will stop by each day. Plenty of free booze and food to go around as this party is sponsored by Jagermeister. So you know it’s going to go down. This is a 21 and over party and those of you that get this invite will be able to email your RSVP in.

Neon Carnival

Out of all of the parties going on during the first festival weekend, this is the most sought after invite. People will jump fences to get in and hang out with the celebrities that always pop up at Neon Carnival. It will be back on Saturday, April 16th at Tradition Aviation (56850 Higgins Drive, Thermal, 92274) starting at 10pm and go until the early morning hours. No major artists or bands have been mentioned to perform, but there is a lot of high caliber names that usually come through and some that even get denied entry. This year’s sponsors include Levis, Don Julio and Re/Done. So the free goodies might be pretty damn good. Get creative and figure out how you can get into this one.

The Do-Over

What'cha wanna do? The Do-Over will make its yearly return to the Palm Springs desert with two parties at the Ace hotel & Swim Club as part of their Desert Gold series. Each party will take place on April 17th and 24th from noon till 6pm. Just like ever Do-Over the lineup is never revealed ahead of time. This is a free party for the 21 and over crowd only and all you have to do to get on the list is click the link below and RSVP.

RSVP: The Do-Over at Ace Hotel on 4/17 & 4/24

Cabana Club

Popsugar and ShopStyle will be in town for their own party and take over Avalon Palm Springs (415 S Belardo Rd, Palm Springs) during the first weekend of Coachella on April 11th and 12th. This is a spot for the beauty and fashion forward mindset as they will have a braid bar, makeup station, and custom screen printings. They will have some musical guests stoping by including LOLAWOLF and James Davis. Click the link below for more details and how you can score your own invite in.

Details: Cabana Club at Avalon Palm Springs on 4/11-4/12

Desert Float

The Saguaro is always one of the best spots to hang out at in Palm Springs and we previously mentioned the Lights Down Low party goin’ down there. Some other L.A. crews will also be heading to the colorful inn with DJs in tow like Abjo, Lakim, Andre Power and more. This will all be going down on Saturday, April 16th from noon - 6pm. The best part is that this will be completely free to attend and open to anyone in the area. All you have to do is RSVP through the link below and BAM you’re in.

RSVP: Desert Float at Saguaro on 4/16

Shake & Bake Spring Break

Not much is known about this party other than it will be on Friday, April 15th in La Quinta. They will have “SPECIAL GUEST DJ SETS”, but not sure who will be there. If you want more info or RSVP for this one all you have to do is drop them an email at RSVPshakebake@gmail.com and include your full name.

Denim Roadtrip

Madewell will have their own party over at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs during the second weekend of Coachella. They’ll have a sweet lineup of DJ including Warpaint, Taken By Trees, IO Echo and Nikki Lane. The party will also be co-hosted by Jenny Lewis. This will all take place on April 21st from noon to 5pm. With this being sponsored by St. Germain we’re guessing you can expect some free booze while you bask in the sun. All you have to do to get into this party is drop an email to Yes.Please@madewell.com to RSVP.

Rhonda Queen of The Desert

A Club Called Rhonda will return to the Coachella Valley for two parties this year. Their previous pool parties have been some of the best in area and open to all. But this year Rhonda will keep things intimate, so in order to get in you’re going to need an invitation. Each Queen of The Desert party will take place on the Thursday before Coachella on April 14th and 21st at a private location. No word on who will be performing at each show, but we’re sure that Rhonda wont disappoint. If you want an invite you might want to get to know someone in the Rhonda camp very soon.

The Date Farmers & Restless Nites

Our friends over at Restless Nites are teaming up with The Date Farmers for an all nighter in the Coachella Valley for those of you that just have to keep going after the midnight festival curfew. They will have Todd Edwards, Heidi Lawden and Tavish handling DJ duty at a private location on Saturday, april 16th. All you have to do is RSVP for the details and get your name on the list. Just click that link below and you’re all set.

RSVP: Todd Edwards at Secret Location on 4/16

The DFM House

DFM are back with to epic pool parties during the first festival weekend. Each party will have a different lineupof music with Kitsune + Friends handling day 1 and Shlohmo, D33J and Nick Melons handling day 2. This is a pool party so you can bring your suit and cool off before you head into the festival for a long night. These are by invite only so if you want in you might need to start sending out some texts ASAP to find details.