Coachella Weekend One Recap: Lady Gaga’s festival return, Charli XCX’s ‘brat’ rager, Bernie Sanders cameo and more from the desert

Blink and you will have missed a star-studded first weekend of Coachella. The first weekend of the beloved music festival took place from April 10-13 and kicked off this year’s festival season with a bang, as just about every celebrity imaginable flocked to the desert to listen to their favorite artists.

From Lady Gaga’s return to the mainstage to Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner’s loved-up date night, here’s what you missed during the first weekend of this year’s Coachella.

Lady Gaga makes her triumphant return

It’s a moment Gaga fans have been waiting for. Lady Gaga made her long-awaited return to the Coachella mainstage on Friday after seven years. Gaga last performed at the music festival in 2017, when she replaced a then-pregnant Beyoncé as a headliner.

Dubbed “The Art of Personal Chaos” and divided into five acts, Gaga closed out night one of the festival with a nearly two-hour performance. Delving into her love for theatrics, the Grammy winner descended onto the stage in a Gothic, multi-storied red gown, singing a stripped-down rendition of her track “Bloody Mary” before launching into her latest single, “Abracadabra” off her new album Mayhem.

Featuring references to designer Alexander McQueen, Gaga’s performance was filled with high-fashion pieces — including a black leather jacket from Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2005 collection and a custom white Dilara Findikoglu look. For her dramatic finale, the pop star closed out her Coachella 2025 set with her 2009, Grammy-winning hit “Bad Romance.”

Charli XCX brings ‘brat’ to the desert

Charli XCX is well-versed in throwing onstage ragers, and her Coachella set was no exception. The Grammy-winner brought her “Sweat Tour” to the desert on April 12 and performed a slew of Brat-era hits, including “365,” “Von Dutch” and “Club Classics.”

The British singer didn’t throw the party all by herself. Early into her set, Troye Sivan joined her onstage to perform “Talk Talk.” Next to join was Lorde, who dueted with Charli on “Girl, So Confusing,” a moment that once again proved they’re no longer feuding. Last to join Charli on stage was Billie Eilish, who performed a remix of their Grammy-nominated track “Guess.”

Queen Latifah, Bernie Sanders and more surprise cameos

Bernie Sanders surprised attendees when he introduced singer-songwriter Clairo ahead of her set on Saturday, during which he called for the younger generation to “help lead in the fight to combat climate change, protect women’s rights, and build an economy that works for all.”

Additional surprise guests include Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day with the Go-Gos, Brian May of Queen with Benson Boone, Maren Morris with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Kali Uchis with Jennie and Queen Latifah with Megan Thee Stallion.

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner step out for date night, plus a ‘White Lotus’ reunion

As far as celebrity sightings go, all eyes were on Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, who were spotted in the crowd during Charli XCX’s set on April 12. A fan-posted clip of the couple has since gone viral on TikTok, garnering more than 13.7 million views.

The White Lotus co-stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Tayme Thapthimthong reunited that same night to watch Blackpink’s Lisa — who also appeared on Season 3 of the hit HBO series — perform at Coachella for the first time as a solo artist.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber, Tate McRae, the Kid Laroi, Paris Hilton, Julia Fox, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Emma Roberts and Bachelor Nation’s Rachael Kirkconnell were also in attendance during weekend one of the festival.

Attendees put prices of food on blast

On TikTok, a woman named Ruth Viveros went viral after she revealed how much food costs on the festival grounds. Viveros said that she paid $102 for two plates of tacos, two lemonades and a plate of nachos.

“They’re not good at all,” she said in the video. “The tortillas are like freezing cold.”

Other attendees have also posted about Coachella food prices. One woman said she spent $90 on four takeout boxes of food, while another said she spent $26 on a plate of chicken wings and fries.