HypeGirls

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held annually in Indio, California . Those who plan far enough ahead (and enjoy daily showers) stay in nearby hotels and shuttle to the shows. But those who love a dirty good time in the California desert set up camp right on site to enjoy the stars on stage and in the sky.

The event features a large number of acts covering all genres and running the gamut from the little-known underground bands to headlining household names.

In 2011, Coachella’s three-day tickets sold out in only six days. To combat this issue, concert promoters Goldenvoice doubled Coachella: two weekends of the same line up so that twice the amount of fans could attend. The dates confirmed are April 13 – 15 and April 20-22, 2012.

The lineup was announced during the second week of January and includes the following big names: The Black Keys, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Radiohead, Florence + The Machine, David Guetta, Bon Iver, The Shins and Santigold. Plus lesser known artists whose names you might know, being the Hype music buffs you are: AWOLNATION, Flying Lotus, Gotye, Kasabian, Andrew Bird, Band of Skulls, Azealia Banks and Explosions in the Sky. My friends, that’s not even half. Click here for the full lineup.

With the extra weekend added, many felt safe to wait for the next paycheck to buy their tickets. Well, when you snooze you lose. Tickets to Coachella 2012 sold out in less than four hours. Even with another full weekend, Coachella ticket sales beat last year’s time to a pulp.

If you’re like me and did not get the chance to buy a ticket within that four hour window, don’t worry. With the help of social media you can experience the festival from afar. In 2011 many music and culture sites such as Spinner offered a live stream from the show. We will keep our ears to the Web to let you know where you can catch parts of the festival, so make sure you always check the Hype Girls site and follow us on Twitter.