Is Coachella better than Glastonbury? Festivalgoers are fighting it out on TikTok – The Independent

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The Southern California desert music festival returns Friday for its second weekend, while the U.K. music festival kicks off this June
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Coachella and Glastonbury are the two biggest names in music festivals globally, famous for their starry headliners and extensive lineups. But that’s where the similarities end — and as Coachella returns for its final 2025 weekend, festivalgoers are battling it out on TikTok to decide which one reigns supreme.
Coachella takes place in southern California’s Colorado Desert over the span of two separate three-day weekends, while Glastonbury is a five-day affair hosted across the pond at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England.
And the two wildly different locations attract vastly different attendees.
This week social media has been flooded with footage from the first Coachella weekend, where influencers wore meticulously curated outfits, many stayed in luxury glamping accommodation and often unenthusiastic crowds watched energetic performances.
The scenes left Glastonbury festivalgoers baffled.
“The difference between American festivals and UK festival is actually insane,” one TikToker said in a video. “Like when you compare Coachella crowds to Glastonbury, why is everyone at Coachella — no one’s making a sound? Whereas at Glastonbury, everyone is singing along.“
They added that they hoped the vibes at Glastonbury would be “much better,” saying that if the crowds end up being as lackluster as those at Coachella, “I’m not gonna be happy.”
Others, meanwhile, honed in on Coachella’s fancy camping situation. For attendees prepared to shell out over $10,000, the festival offers parties of two a fully furnished, air-conditioned Shikhara-style tent or a furnished cabana. Of course, many attendees rent fancy Airbnbs or other properties near the festival, with swimming pools and other luxuries.
“Watching Coachella content is absolutely wild when this is what you’re used to at UK festivals,” a second TikTok user commented, alongside footage of a camping tent at Glastonbury with their belongings strewn everywhere.
One quipped that they found the Coachella videos to be “deeply upsetting.”
“Because I just look at the crowd and I think: Not a single one of you started your day with a warm can of dark fruits in a tent. Not one of you had to fight tooth and nail to be on that one camping chair. No one has had a squashed chocolate croissant for breakfast. That is not a festival,” they argued, “that is an outdoor concert at best.”
“The Coachella crowd could never survive,” another agreed, while Coachella fans hit back, saying that British festivalgoers wouldn’t last half a day in the 100-degree Southern California heat.
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Although Glastonbury certainly has higher-end accommodations, it’s much more common for festivalgoers to opt for the more affordable option — a spot in a sprawling campsite, where cars are banned, forcing attendees to lug all of their belongings across a 900-acre field. Its countryside setting is also notorious for frequent rainfall, which has given Glastonbury its muddy reputation.
While Coachella’s sheer opulence might come as a shock to Glasto diehards, which maintains stronger counterculture roots, the grandeur is part of the desert festival’s attraction.
In recent years, Coachella has increasingly become a hotspot for influencers, making it no surprise that its accommodations are designed for peak Instagram potential.
Glasto goers will have just over a month to gather their survival kits for its June 25 kickoff — no glamping required, mud optional.
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