Each year, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival snags headlines, and this year is no different. Featuring performers such as Lady Gaga, Green Day, Billie Eilish, and more, plus the 125,000 festival attendees catching shows over the two consecutive weekends, how does the annual music festival (which is followed by the Stagecoach Festival featuring headliners such as Jelly Roll, Luke Combs and more) work in harmony with this key growing California region?
© Coachella Music FestivalLady Gaga this past weekend at the Coachella Music Festival.
After all, it's all generally taking place within the same area. "Our warehouse is about three miles away from the festival, and some of our competitors are even closer," says Jay Angulo of Baloian Farms.
However, growers seem to welcome the event. "The Coachella Music Festival is great for the Coachella Valley. It brings in a lot of revenue," said Keith Wilson of King Fresh Produce LLC, adding that the only downside he sees for agriculture is the limited hotel rooms available during the festivals.
© Baloian FarmsIn Coachella, it's also the start of the prime growing season for products such as peppers.
Logistics delays
One area that does get tricky throughout both festivals is logistics in the region. "You might have a little bit of a tougher time getting around over the next three weeks," says Angulo. "Workers, for instance, may have to take this into account and add extra time getting to work and home. Trucks can get delayed–if they're at a competitor's warehouse and have to then come to us, they might be later than anticipated. For the most part, that's the biggest issue in terms of negative effects."
It's also the start of the prime growing season for the area–Baloian Farms is about to start its pepper production this week (typically, in fact, it has usually started).
© Coachella Music FestivalThe event attracts more than 125,000 attendees annually to the growing region.
That said, like Wilson, Angulo also sees what the festival has done for the growing region. "It has helped gain recognition for the whole area–any time I mention to customers that we're loading out of the Coachella Valley, they know exactly where I'm talking about or they tell me about how they went to Coachella two years ago. It's positive recognition for the area."
For more information:
Jay Angulo
Baloian Farms
www.baloianfarms.com
Keith Wilson
King Fresh Produce LLC
www.kingfresh.com