Each April, 100,000+ music lovers flock to Indio, California for Coachella’s iconic two-weekend takeover of the desert. But for the millions who can't make the trip, the 2025 Coachella livestream was more than a second-best option; it was a front-row, VIP, multi-stage, immersive masterpiece.

I have spent 17 years in the festival, concert, and event industry, and I live and breath all things concerts and festivals. So it’s hard to impress me.  But I was blown away by how Coachella delivered a virtual experience that felt intentional, elevated, and human-centric.

Here’s why the 2025 Coachella livestream wasn’t just good--it was a masterclass in digital experience design:

Let’s start with the frictionless access.

There were no paywalls, sign-ins, or apps you needed to download (although you could have downloaded the Coachella Livestream App for the same experience and the ability sync to your time zone, set reminders, and see festival and artist merch). All you needed to do was open YouTube and start watching. By removing these barriers, Coachella made the experience feel as expansive as the festival itself. An internet connection and a love of music were the only things required.

Stage hopping was seamless with no additional steps, literally.

Six Coachella stages had their own dedicated YouTube channel. I didn’t need to run across a festival ground to catch another performance. Changing stages was as easy a clicking a button. The streamed stages ran for 12 hours, which meant if there were overlapping sets, I didn’t have to choose. I could watch one artist live and rewind to another later. It was a reminder that great digital design means flexibility, not compromise.

Pretty cool so far, right? Well, here’s where Coachella took things to the next level. When one performance ended, the stream didn’t cut to black or a static slate. Instead, viewers saw stunning aerial shots of the festival grounds. You could hear the audience, like, REALLY hear them. The ambient audio captured casual crowd chatter and layered it with a dreamy sound bath-style instrumental track. From my apartment in Seattle, I felt the atmosphere in Indio.

After the aerial footage showed for about 5 seconds, Coachella transitioned to a multi layered visual that struck the perfect balance between information and immersion. At the top of the screen there was a banner with the stage name and the message, “Set Change Underway – More Live Music Soon”. On the left, viewers had a real-time stage schedule of the whole day, including the day and date as well as which time zone the set times were in. On the right, there was a looping visual of the next artist due on that stage. Most impressively, a scrolling ticker at the bottom with “Live Now” suggested programming on other stages, encouraging virtual attendees to explore performances happening live on other channels. All these elements were overlayed on that static livestream aerial shot, where you could see the tens of thousands of IRL attendees moving about. This audience-first UX transformed downtime into an intentional part of the festival experience.

At Coachella, streaming wasn’t an afterthought or a default backup plan, but a parallel universe for virtual attendees to choose their own adventure. Coachella proved that streaming is a fully realized experience with its own creative potential. It’s time to think beyond the contingency, and start designing for connection.

I’ll leave you with 5 of my key takeaways you can bring to your next event:

1)    Remove Friction at the Front Door

Make access easy! Your content is only powerful if people can actually get to it!

2)    Design for Multitasking Viewers

Give your audience the power to switch between stages, sessions, or streams without losing context. Channel-based navigation and intuitive toggling are a must.

3)    Fill the Gaps with Atmosphere

Intermissions aren’t dead space – they’re content and branding opportunities. Use ambient sound, crowd noise, and impactful visuals to keep viewers immersed in your event during programming pauses.

4)    Layer UX with Information + Emotion

Smart overlays such as upcoming schedules, performer or speaker clips, and live programming tickers don’t just inform, but guide behavior. Design them to be clear, helpful, and on-brand.

5)    Treat your Virtual Audience Like VIPs

Remote viewers aren’t an afterthought. They’re attendees. Build programming, pathways, and experiences that matter to them, giving reasons to stay engaged.

After 17 years in festivals, concerts, conventions, and all the moments in between, I can confidently say this: the digital audience deserves more. And when you get it right, they’ll feel every beat, even from 1,000 miles away. They’ll stay longer, engage deeper, and walk away not just entertained and informed, but connected to your brand.

This is how you build brand loyalty. This is how your event lives on in scrolls, shares, and side conversations long after the final set or session. Design for your virtual audience with as much intention as your in-person one, and watch how connection grows.

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