Coachella 2019 is almost here. At this point, you’ve probably heard of Coachella either you’re a fan of it or not. It’s hard not to see those blinding ads, celebrity outfit photos, the legendary headliners who’ll be playing at this three day non stop bohemian fiesta, or just random influencers, bloggers living their best life out in sunny California. Sounds like a dream? That’s how Coachella is described but is this true?

What is Coachella?

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual music festival happening in the spring of every year. In 2012, the festival got so big that organizers turned it into two separate weekends. Originally, it was created in 1999 by Goldenvoice Productions with Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen, so this year is special, as it celebrates a twenty-year run already. Where is Coachella Valley? In the same place where it started — the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California (near Palm Springs). The spot is actually very picturesque and scenic as it’s in the Colorado desert. Do you know when is Coachella happening? Now! The festival will take place on April 12–14 and April 19–21 — two huge three-day weekend parties.

It all sounds dreamy, and everyone wishes to experience it at least once, but the biggest question is how much are Coachella tickets? I’m warning you, it’s not cheap. This year tickets start at $429 for a three-day pass or $509 with a shuttle pass included. A VIP ticket is $999, and VIP parking is $150. So.. that’s something, right? Don’t forget the fact that the festival is held in the desert, so you will definitely need a place to stay. Passes for car camping are a little over $100, so it’s your best and cheapest option. For some, the prices might seem unrealistic, but there are still more than 100 thousand tickets sold every year. And this year will be tremendous as artists like, Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariane Grande are headlining. The whole Coachella lineup is pretty epic, you can check it out here.

Coachella free Wi-Fi and risks

Coachella is hands down the most fashionable music festival of all time, so it’s loved by many influencers, YouTubers and other social media icons. Part of the people are going there for work purposes (filming, vlogging, blogging or more), so having access to the internet is very important. Actually, Coachella wants you to be connected and active on social media while on the festival, so they’re offering free Wi-Fi hotspots (this year locations will be in Beer Gardens, Indio Central Market, Beer Barn, Main VIP, Rose Garden VIP and Connected Lounge (Camping). Sounds pretty good, but is it safe? Probably not. When connecting you have to agree to their public Wi-Fi access terms and conditions, and if you’ll read a little into them, you’ll find statements like “Provider may monitor and collect information while you are connected to the Service”, “Provider may share a list of such information with Festival and Goldenvoice” or “We may use any such information as part of our marketing and promotional activities, including by linking such information to other information we may hold about you”. This doesn’t sound very trustful, does it?

Being monitored is not the only thing that can happen when connected to free Wi-Fi. While being on the same unprotected network, any criminal can easily hack into your phone and access your private information. The hackers can position themselves between you and the connection point. This means that instead of talking directly with the hotspot — you can end up sending all your information to some random people sitting next to you. So all your emails, photos, phone numbers, banking information and more can get out in the open, in someone else’s hands.

Use a VPN to stay safe

Don’t want to be monitored and watched over your back? There’s a simple solution — VPN. What is a VPN you might ask? VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It’s a security software that encrypts your online traffic and activities and protects you from the possible data theft. It simply changes your IP address, creates a virtual tunnel between you and a remote VPN server, so all your private information is encrypted and secured from the unwanted eyes. What are the best VPNs on the market? I can share some of my favourites:

NordVPN (75% off of the 3y deal, $2.99/month) ExpressVPN (49% off of the 15-month subscription, $6.67/month) PrivateVPN (13-month subscription, $3.82/month)

I hope everyone understands that free Wi-Fi is not safe to use and it’s important to take care of your online identity. Protect yourselves and have a great Coachella 2019 party!