Return to the Pre-2011 Water System

[GuyInTucson]

Easier said than done when they force you to stay in the kiddie gate with your beer. And only Heineken pisswater to drink. Lolla had a biergarten with nice variety, and sold bottles of wine.

That gate was the stupidest thing I've ever witnessed at a major festival. Lolla and Roo didn't do it last year. Is that the way Coachella is every year? 2011 was my first.

I'm fine with the water situation if it's the same as last year. Only Lolla did it better. Roo was a near disaster. Random stations with foul water, lines that forced 10+ minute waits.

You do realize that there was Newcastle served in 2011 as well, right? Not to mention the small bar in the beer gardens (in the vacinity of the heineken Dome I believe) that had much more variety.

[NachoCat]

I cant tell you how many times I have almost rolled my ankle stepping on a water bottle while in dance mode.

[guedita]

Keep your feet planted and pump pump pump.

[tigermilkboy]

I prefer paying $5 for water at festivals. Gives you something to vent about. Festivals aren't any fun if you can't complain about water, food, potties or crowds.

[insbordnat]

I cant tell you how many times I have almost rolled my ankle stepping on a water bottle while in dance mode.

That's because you dance so fast. Also I don't believe the Melbourne Shuffle is in style anymore.

[Coach Bombay]

I disagree, 2011 was a better system than 2010. However, like what someone else already said, EDC blew them both out of the...water. I would fully endorse Coachella implementing that refill system.

To everyone defending the beer garden gates, you all suck. I might even go out on a limb and say the extra trash around the field would be worth it. I didn't think anything of it before, until I went to Outside Lands this year. There was just something fucking perfect about watching Fogerty with a full beer in hand..

[with_cheese]

I drank plenty of beer at the festival this year and can still say I'm glad they do the beer garden. The lack of drunk douche bags was quite noticeable compared to other music festivals.

[NachoCat]

You and I both know I'm a phenomenal dancer

[tyles]

The beer garden/gate thing is something enforced by the city of Indio, much like the curfew. It's really a microscopic price to pay for our favorite festival. If you have a problem with it, you might want to take it up with Indio. Personally, I find it a blessing in disguise, as detailed in some of the posts others have made.

Some drunk near-200 lbs. idiot nearly feel on my gf and barfed a lot before the Killers in 2009, so clearly even with the garden area, a drunk moron can come close to ruining your otherwise magical Coachella experience.

[heart cooks brain]

a couple of my friends refuse to go to coachella because of the beer gardens.

[tyles]

a couple of my friends refuse to go to coachella because of the beer gardens.

I have heard some lame reasons for not going to Coachella, but this easily takes the cake.

[Highly Refined Pirate]

Its been fine the past two years, stop QQing.

[captncrzy]

The beer garden/gate thing is something enforced by the city of Indio, much like the curfew.

This is correct;

a couple of my friends refuse to go to coachella because of the beer gardens.

Your friends are the douchebags that we would rather not have there then-the ones that go to drink all day and be assholes.


Also, water is only $2 a bottle (or free if you are able to bend over and pick ten up off the ground). Get better jobs.

[heart cooks brain]

I have heard some lame reasons for not going to Coachella, but this easily takes the cake.

yeah, they're pussies.

[Highly Refined Pirate]

You and I both know I'm a phenomenal dancer

Now im all over his radar, stupid!

[DeadSkin]

Water should be free, its a natural resource. That is why I was "cheating" and picking the plastic bottles out of the trash. Then turning them around for a fresh bottle. I guess you were supposed to pick them up off the ground. Fuck that though, i was thirsty. I thought that Coachella wanted to do something different than Woodstock 99 that's why they offered the water for free in the first place.

[tyles]

Water should be free, its a natural resource. That is why I was "cheating" and picking the plastic bottles out of the trash. Then turning them around for a fresh bottle. I guess you were supposed to pick them up off the ground. Fuck that though, i was thirsty. I thought that Coachella wanted to do something different than Woodstock 99 that's why they offered the water for free in the first place.

$4 to $8 for water in 1999, based on value of the US dollar then = way overpriced

$2 for a bottle of water in 2011, based on the current US dollar = a bargin comparitively.

Also, water is free if you bring your own non-glass, non-metal container. To reiterate a point, be better at Festivaling.

[moxie990]

Last year was my first year, so I can't compare it to what Coachella was like previously, but I definitely didn't have a problem with the beer gardens. Of course, if your only goal was just to black out each day, then it would have sucked being that far away from the music ... but I would hope you aren't dropping all that $$ just to black out when you could do that at home with a bottle of Popov for $11.

It was actually enjoyable to me to have the beer gardens away from everything else. Going to get a beer became as enjoyable as the rest of the fest because we were able to get nice cold beers and get out of the sun for a while! I was able to do some "outside the fences" drinking though, and it was definitely a highlight. Randomly met two kids from Mexico City who had snuck in some 4lokos (yes, the beverage of choice sucked, but it was an awesome experience) and they shared them with me and my friends. We just sat on the grass outside the outdoor, sharing a j with them and sharing their booze. Just amazing! But, if that was the norm, then the entire fest would look like the beer gardens did, and that would suck!

As for $2 waters ... that's crazy if you think that's too expensive!! $2 is definitely worth it for me to not have to go Costanza on a bunch of water bottles already in the trash (IT WAS ON TOP!!!!) just to get one bottle for free. I mean, it's only two bucks!! c'mon!!

[tigermilkboy]

As long as water stations are hygienic and safe to drink, I don't care how they do it.

[Timestretch]

no line and 10 second refills. Plus a dude with a hawk and kitty kat on his back.

[SONR801]

13 minutes = 1/4 of a lot of good sets during the day. I'll gladly spend 2 bucks and not miss something especially if I am dropping over 1,000 to make Coachella happen

I didnt miss a minute of anyone i wanted to watch perform, my buddy and i would just pick up bottles right after a performance and got enough free water to last us for a few hours....we would each normally pick up 3 for free and were set. We however didnt come to the fest this year with a lot of money so the recycling system really helped out with saving cash for some souvenirs and dinner.

[unit300021]

The water system this year was fantastic; there was never more than a 3 minute wait at the one by the Pure Filth Dome. Be better at festivaling.

This spot was great, the only one I used all weekend and only once was there a line to it and it was only 2 people deep. Just seemed like no one wanted to use this one.

[frizzlefry]

The ONLY problem I had with the refillable program was on Saturday night where some fucking moronic security guard wouldn't let me bring in my empty gallon jug, for no reason.

[M Sparks]

You do realize that there was Newcastle served in 2011 as well, right?

Crap, you just reminded me that I have to budget for beer this year. I usually save my drinking for the campground.

I still don't understand people who want to hang around the beer garden all day, but it's nice to take a break if there's something drinkable.

[colemathis]

no line and 10 second refills. Plus a dude with a hawk and kitty kat on his back.

Is this EDC? This system seems ideal.

[Stickjohn]

So assume the $5 mentioned earlier was for the blue bottle and then refills were free? Or why do you need staff to fill water bottles?

[Timestretch]

It's EDC and you did not have to buy the blue bottle. I used a plastic bottle and even a beer can at one point. The staff was there just to be PLUR and stuff.

[HumanRobot74x]

Coachella does not need any improvement to the current water systems. A manned station is just overkill and the 2010 system was way more of a cluster fuck. Last year was ideal with the free pumps. They were fast, well located and you could use any bottle you wanted. And if you wanted to avoid the short line or get colder water then you can spend $2, which is outrageously cheap compared to any other concert, sporting event or even the fucking movies. Why waste money or manpower on water stations when it can be used so much more effectively elsewhere.

[BROKENDOLL]

The water system this year was fantastic; there was never more than a 3 minute wait at the one by the Pure Filth Dome. Be better at festivaling.

Maybe because the Pure Filth dome wasn't located in the midst of the festival where the majority of peeps can be found. That, or not everyone agreed with your festivaling taste in music...

WAIT! HOLD EVERYTHING!LOOK AT THE ITALICS! LOOK! I do believe that Cara and I are finally on the same grammar and spelling page! I'm almost certain that one day soon, we shall be out festivaling together... as one! FUCKIN'-A!!!

Yup and the peeps working the watering stations got tipped by me every time I went to get a refill. They just need to be vigilant about not spreading germs by inserting the nozzle into everybody's bottles.

You, showgazer76, are a class act festival goer! Showing appreciation ($) to someone for serving you will go a lot farther than getting your guts jabbed by an elbow while you're pushing and shoving your way to the front.

[BROKENDOLL]

Yeah you always have to stay in the beer garden with your beers... which is silly. Is that something the city mandates or what? There are lots of festivals that allow you to go everywhere with your booze.

It's Indio's way of segregating the drunks from the e-tards, I guess. That, or they're just trying to keep underage drinking down to a minimum.

I disagree, 2011 was a better system than 2010. However, like what someone else already said, EDC blew them both out of the...water. I would fully endorse Coachella implementing that refill system.

To everyone defending the beer garden gates, you all suck. I might even go out on a limb and say the extra trash around the field would be worth it. I didn't think anything of it before, until I went to Outside Lands this year. There was just something fucking perfect about watching Fogerty with a full beer in hand..

Not if when you went to sit down, it was in a puddle of beer vomit. Your Fogerty experience would have been tainted then.