Good vibes, tequila, and sore feet: What Instacart orders reveal about music festivals in the Coachella Valley
Lifestyle
Audio By Carbonatix
3:05 PM on Monday, April 6
By Alex Orellana for Instacart, Stacker
Good vibes, tequila, and sore feet: What Instacart orders reveal about music festivals in the Coachella Valley
Instacart analyzed order data across 11 cities in the Coachella Valley during the 2025 spring desert festival season, which spans three weeks in April. Instacart does not deliver alcohol to festival grounds, so purchases reflect orders placed in the surrounding Coachella Valley area. What people put in their carts reveals a lot about how Americans prep, party, and recover from long days in the sun — and how uniquely they do it for the two distinctly different music festivals. In this article, Instacart shares the revelations.
Key Takeaways
- Orders were placed 25% more often than normal during the three-week festival period, making it one of the busiest times of the year for the region.
- Tequila was a top-selling alcohol at both festivals. It spiked over 1,200% above the national average at the pop and electronic music festival and over 1,500% at the country music festival — the largest jump of any alcohol at either event. Margaritas were having a moment.
- There was a clear wave of “oops, I forgot” items. Body sunscreen was up 1,033% for the pop and electronic music festival, while bandages rose 405%, showing how often last-minute essentials made their way into orders.
- Foot care emerged as a real festival need. Foot insoles and inserts rose more than 3,900% around the pop and electronic music festival and 6,000% around the country music festival — one of the largest spikes across any product category.
- Electrolyte supplements spiked 304% at the pop and electronic music festival versus 252% at the country music festival, while sports drinks rose 58% and 37%, respectively.
The Festivals Rival Thanksgiving in Coachella Valley
The Coachella Valley doesn't just throw festivals — it throws Instacart into overdrive. Every April, the region sees a grocery surge that rivals Thanksgiving. During the 2025 festival season, orders were placed 25% more often than normal across 11 cities in the surrounding area, including Indio, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and La Quinta.
The Desert Called. Tequila Answered.
During the pop and electronic music festival, unflavored tequila jumped more than 1,200% above the rest of the U.S., leading every alcohol category by a wide margin. Liqueurs, Mexican-style lagers, unflavored vodka, hard seltzers, prosecco, rosé, and more all followed. The desert bar was fully stocked.
The more interesting signal is what came with the tequila. Orders containing tequila and limes in the same cart jumped 5,560% above the national average in the Coachella Valley. Add chili peppers to that combination and those orders ran 4,897% above normal.
Spicy margaritas, anyone? The carts say yes.
Methodology: Instacart calculated the percentage difference between 1) share of orders on the Instacart platform with tequila and limes in the same order between April 10-20, 2025, in Coachella, Vista Santa Rosa, Indio, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Palm Desert, Thousand Palms, Sky Valley, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Springs and 2) the share of orders on the Instacart platform with tequila and limes in the same order between April 10-20, 2025, in the rest of the United States.
Avo Toast, Energy Drinks, and Survival Instincts
Green limes (up 120%), Hass avocados (49%), tortilla chips (45%), and sourdough bread (89%) all spiked together, making chips and dips and avocado toast a top-notch snacking option (and arguably a festival food group).
Energy drinks (67%), sports drinks (58%), and coffee drinks (110%) all trended up sharply. Celebration, recovery, and survival in the hot desert for three days demands a fueling plan.
The shopping list is giving survival mode, festival edition.
And if there's one unsung hero of festival season? Sparkling water. It topped every other beverage category in the Coachella Valley.
Among popular sparkling water brands, LaCroix came in first, San Pellegrino second, and Sparkling Ice third — hydration, but make it bubbly.
The “Oops, I Forgot” Cart
Body sunscreen (up 1,033%), bandages (405%), eye drops (187%), toothbrushes (149%), and razors (116%) pointed to last-minute essentials that people may have forgotten to pack. Items like disposable cups (143%) and pool floats (1,492%) show that people wanted to keep the party going outside of the festival (and possibly into the pool).
And then there are the things no one thinks about until they absolutely have to, like pain from wearing cowboy boots and four-inch platforms to an all-day dance party. Foot insoles jumped nearly 4,000%.
Same Lineup, Different Energy: Weekend 1 vs. Weekend 2
For the annual pop and electronic music festival, the differences between weekend 1 and weekend 2 are clear.
Weekend 1 festivalgoers prioritized keeping the energy high (or at least trying to) by purchasing energy drinks (up 45%), refueling and recovering with electrolyte supplements (37%), juice shots (29%), coffee drinks (13%), and relaxing and snacking with pool floats (19%), and guacamole (20%).
Weekend 2 had its own vibe: Pinot grigio surged 75%, false eyelashes jumped 64%, and margarita mix rose 28%.
Same Venue. Completely Different Carts.
Both festivals take place around the same time, at the same venue, but they play out very differently. The pop and electronic music festival leans into body sunscreen, juice shots, caffeine drinks, and electrolyte supplements, while the country music festival saddles up for tortilla chips, light lagers, spirits, and snacks like fresh fruit and veggie trays.
And while sore feet show up at both festivals, the country music festival pushes it further — foot insoles jump from around 3,900% at the pop and electronic music festival to over 6,000%, suggesting those cowboy boots might not be as comfortable as they look. Lucky for country music lovers, camping chairs are permitted at their festival and spike in carts, so they can take a load off. No such luck for weary pop and electronic music festivalgoers.
This story was produced by Instacart and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
