With Coachella Campground Closed, Festival-Goers Improvise With 'Walmartchella'
INDIO (CBSLA) — As the saying goes, when you get lemons, make lemonade, so when you can't get into Coachella, there's still "Walmartchella".
Thousands of music fans who drove to Indio for the second weekend of Coachella were delayed from checking into the campgrounds due to severe winds. With nowhere to go, they flooded a nearby Walmart parking lot and dubbed it "#Walmartchella".
Indio is anarchy rn. Every camper has turned the Walmart parking lot into #WalmartChella and people are setting up their campsites for the day ????
— Dylan Mooney (@MoMoneyMooney) April 19, 2018
the @coachella camping was delayed entry till Fri 3 am due to bad weather where normally they would already be letting people in
— Chau (@cafesuadaddie) April 19, 2018
all the people who flew there or arrived early are now stranded but have gotten together to turn up at a nearby Walmart until then
Walmartchella
#Walmartchella saving people when Coachella won't open the camping gates
— Meesta_Dougie (@Dougie_Naranjo) April 19, 2018
The campgrounds were supposed to open Wednesday. With plenty of time to kill, campers set up their folding chairs, portable barbecues and made the best of the situation.
The impromptu campground did draw the attention of Indio police officers – but they joined in on the fun, playing a beanbag game with the campers to help pass the time.
Campers were finally allowed to check in at about 3 a.m. Friday.