Coachella Is Happening All Year With Virtual Island That’s An ‘Artistic Oasis’

Coachella has been racking its brains on how to appease both guests and fans who can’t take the flight out to the festival. This year, not only is it taking all six of its stages live on YouTube, but it’s also opening Coachella Island, an always-on destination on Fortnite.

The once-a-year party is happening once, all year, in a massive participatory and gaming experience crafted by Fortnite parent Epic Games and its game development studio Alliance Studios.

Described as an “artistic oasis,” Coachella Island is a virtual replica of the iconic desert venue, complete with recreations of its Ferris wheel, Spectra building, and natural landscape. The island can be located via ‘Discover’ or by entering the island code 5449-4207-1280.

There’s an Art Park showcasing art installations from the real-world Coachella, along with a gallery of ‘Fortography’ captured by metaverse festival-goers.

Guests can also grab some vibrant festival swag from the island’s virtual merchandise tent, and join in on mini-games and quests put together by creators.

Since this is also the festival of music, Coachella is obviously bringing music to the digital destination, with songs by 2023 performer Porter Robinson resounding across the island. Users can also toggle on the in-game Icon Radio to tune into songs and artists from this year’s lineup.

Coachella Island hopes to be “the weekend that never ends,” as well as reach out to fans beyond the festival’s attendees.

Coachella’s innovation lead Sam Schoonover tells Rolling Stone that the virtual island is one way the festival is crystallizing its presence in the future. The brainstorming doesn’t stop here—Schoonover also foresees music festivals adopting more “immersive mixed reality,” like augmented-reality glasses, to keep the magic going for generations to come.

As for now, this hybrid experience embodies the music and art festival’s evolution into a “worldwide phenomenon” that transcends the usual age group of Coachella guests. Young fans in awe of Coachella’s allure, too, can finally join in on the festivities.

[via Rolling Stone, TechCrunch, Fortnite, video and images via Fortnite]