Coachella started strong this year, with a Friday featuring numerous much-anticipated performances — including festival debut sets by breakout artists, festival return sets by longtime favorites, and a headlining debut set by an artist who predicted her eventual top-of-the-bill status during her most recent Coachella performance two years prior.
It was a very hot and sunny day in the desert, with both the Coachella powers that be and numerous artists on stage repeatedly reminding attendees to stay hydrated. However, by night, things had cooled and gotten particularly windy, which led to perhaps the day’s lone major disappointment — the last-minute canceling of Anyma Presents: ÆDEN, the much-hyped midnight dance set supposed to see day one out, which reportedly had the plug pulled on it due to the windy conditions.
Still, the day was a packed one — even Anyma fans still had the choice of going to see either Gordo, alt-R&B fixture Blood Orange or rap hitmaker Sexyy Red at midnight instead of the dance duo, which would be very strong backup options for just about any kind of music fan. And there were still great dance moments earlier in the day, as well as plenty of memorable on-stage happenings from the worlds of rock and pop, which appear to be the two genres most firmly at the festival’s core as of 2026.
Here are 10 of our staffers’ picks for the most memorable moments from the first day of Coachella 2026, officially the festival’s 25th edition, with plenty more such moments no doubt to follow on Saturday and Sunday.
