Katie Bain’s New Book About Coachella Is Out Now

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On October 9–10, 1999, the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California hosted the inaugural Coachella — a modest gathering headlined by Beck, Morrissey, The Chemical Brothers, Rage Against the Machine and Tool that would, over the coming decades, become a defining intersection of music, style and cultural moments.

Desert Dreams: The Music, Style and Allure of Coachella, written by Billboard senior music correspondent Katie Bain, traces that transformation. Released October 21, 2025 by Epic Ink, the book chronicles how a festival rooted in Southern California’s alternative scene evolved into an annual cultural touchstone. Order a copy here.

The hardcover volume is richly illustrated with more than 150 archival photographs, capturing milestone performances and unforgettable spectacles — from Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead to the infamous Tupac hologram and cultural moments like Beychella and Lady Gaga’s headline sets. It pairs striking imagery with context about the festival’s biggest stories, style innovations and backstage lore.

Written for longtime festivalgoers and newcomers alike, Desert Dreams maps Coachella’s development into a cultural barometer — documenting how programming choices, production innovations and fashion trends shaped how audiences consume live music and spectacle.

The book’s release follows closely on the heels of the 2026 Coachella lineup announcement, which lists Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G as headliners. Bain examines how mainstream pop has increasingly occupied top billing, how livestreaming has expanded the festival’s reach, and how social media turned the polo grounds into an extended runway for celebrities, models and influencers.

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