From whimsy barrel cacti to a literal bunker, large scale art installations have once again taken center stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
The artwork serves not just as visual inspiration, but also as the perfect selfie background and spot for festival goers to take a break from the sometimes unrelenting sun.
Festivalgoers pass by large balloon sculptures as clouds build over the mountains during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Rachel Blount poses in a blue outfit during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Festival goers sit in the shade provided by the “Starry Eyes” art installation during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA on Friday, April 17, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Festivalgoers walk past the Balloon Chain installation as a drone display from Young Thug’s set appears overhead during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Festival goers walk through the field during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)
Festivalgoers gather near “Network Operations” by Dedo Vabo during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Visitors sit and lie on the floor during a screening of “Radiohead Motion Picture House: Kid A Mnesia” inside the Bunker during Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Visitors rest inside the “Radiohead Motion Picture House: Kid A Mnesia” installation in the Bunker during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Festivalgoers roam an inflatable maze as a chain of red balloons drifts overhead during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
A large crowd watches as Katseye performs at the Sahara stage during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
A crowd gathers on the Bunker Hill area as Katseye performs at the Sahara stage during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
People rest inside during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
People walk past “Starry Eyes” wrapped in emergency blankets as temperatures drop during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
A hippo moves around the “Network Operations” art installation, by Dedo Vabo, during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)
Caleb Rodriguez poses next to the “Starry Eyes” during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Festivalgoers walk past “Network Operations” by Dedo Vabo during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Helen Sanchez, left, and Sophia Terlato, both from Florida, sit at the top of bunker hills during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
A view of “Network Operations” by Dedo Vabo during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
Festivalgoers take shade under the “Visage Brut” during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
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Festivalgoers pass by large balloon sculptures as clouds build over the mountains during Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
This year the festival introduced five new installations that fit right in with the permanent structures that Coachella attendees have come to know and love. Most of the which can be found spread across the field between the Coachella Stage and Outdoor Theater.
Maze, created by Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis, is made up of colorful inflated walls that people can walk through with seating along the exterior.
“It’s super cool just to sit here and listen to the music and walk through it,” said Redondo Beach resident Evan Jackson Friday afternoon. “It’s like another little world at Coachella.”
Another new piece is Starry Eyes, a group of balloon-like shapes that are about 40-feet tall, providing shade during the day and glowing like lanterns at night.
Starry Eyes, which are actually designed to resemble golden barrel cactus, draws inspiration from the iconic Bob Hope House in nearby Palm Springs, according to the description by creator London-based architect Kyriakos Chatziparaskevas on Coachella’s website.
For Anna Torres, who came to the festival from Anaheim, it was the perfect place to take a selfie.
“It’s just such a cool background and you feel kind of inspired being here, too,” she said.
Also on the field is Visage Brut from The Los Angeles Design Group, which is made up of stacked steel modules meant to look like a steel totem
And then there’s the bunker that houses an immersive exhibition and film featuring Radiohead’s “Kid A Mnesia.” The grass knoll covering the bunker has become something of a go-to for attendees to take in the views of the festival grounds and watch acts performing in the nearby Sahara tent.
Lastly, there’s a piece dubbed Network Operations.
The three-story Network Operations by Dedo Vabo that serves as the festival’s fictional communications grid. On the structure there’s a radio tower and satellite dishes and inside its glass-front “shadow box” rooms there are people dressed up as hippos running a newspaper press, a radio booth and other media.
While this piece of art didn’t provide shade or a place to rest, it did spark a lot of curiosity and questions from festival goers as they walked by and looked into the rooms.
“I’m not sure what’s happening in there but I’ve been staring at it for a while now. It’s just kind of weirdly entertaining,” said Los Angeles resident Edwin Villas.
