INDIO, Calif. (KABC) — Coachella is finally here, but for some campers, getting into the festival has been a bit chaotic so far.
Some campers reported being stuck in traffic for several hours Friday without access to water or restrooms.
“I’ve seen people pass out due to heat exhaustion. It’s just chaos,” one attendee told KESQ-TV. “We’ve been here personally since 3 a.m. and this is crazy. It’s literally almost 11 a.m.”
AIR7 was above the camping area and captured long lines of vehicles, waiting to get in.
“Seven hours into this,” said another attendee. “We paid $600 a ticket, $300 for a parking pass. This is absurd. Why are we spending this money to spend eight hours in a car? We aren’t even inside yet.”
Several law enforcement agencies are helping direct traffic into the festival.
Officer David Torres with the California Highway Patrol said enforcement is not only being increased around the festival area, but all throughout the Valley.
“We do have more officers on the road but are also more hyperaware, looking for violations, making sure that everyone can make it to the festival safely,” he said. “We just see that people are so excited for the festival, so sometimes they may be speeding, or distracted, or might want to be celebrating early.”
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