Coachella 2026’s best moments from the first weekend are here. Once again, the music festival proved why it is still the global pop and viral culture epicenter. You can find the festival’s full lineup here.
This year’s Coachella was the perfect mix of big performances, historical moments, surprise collaborations and a few polemic moments. California’s Empire Polo Club in Indio hosted one of the most awaited events of the year and no one left disappointed. Moreover, on its 25th anniversary, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival went further up in its game selling all the tickets.
Top artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G starred the biggest moments of each night. Nevertheless, some other fire singers gave amazing performances that shocked the audience. Teddy Swims, Slayyyter, KATSEYE and The Strokes were some of the not so popular artists that made everyone stand up. Here are some of Coachella 2026’s best moments from the first weekend.
Headliners’ performances at Coachella 2026
Sabrina Carpenter was the first headliner to perform at the event, on Friday 10 April 2026. She opened her set with such a curated and ambitious ensemble full of cinematic references. Furthermore, Carpenter brought one of Hollywood’s legends to the stage to continue her filmish fantasy. Everyone on Coachella’s big stage freaked out when seeing Susan Sarandon appear next to Sabrina.
The American singer performed some of her most popular hist, including House Tour, Taste, Manchild, Please Please Please and Espresso. Her awesome yet energetic musical program consolidated her status as one of today’s top artists in the industry.
Karol G made history in this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The Colombian singer became the first female Latin artist to headline the event. This was one of the most awaited moments of the weekend due to its importance and global reference. The outstanding staging and dynamic choreographies were also some of the main elements on Karol G’s set.
Another of the main moments of the Colombian’s Coachella program came with the surprise guests. Latin icons Wisin and Becky G made everyone in California’s Empire Polo Club in Indio dance along to their most popular hits. Moreover, Karol G’s setlist was full of her main hits and legendary Latin songs such as Rompe, Si antes the hubiera conocido, MAMIII, PROVENZA, Tusa and Rakata.
Justin Bieber starred one of the most awaited moments of the festival. This was the Canadian singer’s first time performing for such an audience in years. The Sorry singer became the top event last weekend after being away from the stage for a long time. A strong nostalgic component led by singing his most popular songs from the 2010’s took over California’s Empire Polo Club in Indio. Baby, Beauty and a Beat, Never Say Never and Favorite Girl were some of Bieber’s setlist songs.
His set was one of the most crowded and mediatic in Coachella’s history, counting with more than 125,000 people attending his performance. Justin’s evening was such an event that it broke several records because of the crowd and the media coverage. The That Should Be Me artist became the weekend’s most commented singer online.
