Niche, cryptic, trippy: Coachella’s billboards are a preview of music branding in 2026

Coachella may be rife with influencers, but at least its billboards are a good sign for creative direction.

[Photo: Eyetwist/Kevin Balluff/Getty Images]

Over the past few days, new billboards have slowly been popping up along a 130-mile stretch of desert into Indio, California. One features a giant image of a crying face emoji; another is a picture of an unexplained blob; a third shows an edit of the Mona Lisa sipping out of a delicate tea cup. Each of these eye-catching visuals is an advertisement for a performance at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Coachella 2026 takes place over two weekends: April 10 through 12 and April 17 through 19. And while billboard........

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