Coachella with Monsoon Market

Coachella – What Dreams Are Made Of
If you care even a little about music festivals, you’ve definitely heard of the festival of all festivals: Coachella. Set against the backdrop of the desert, it’s a surreal scene—giant Ferris wheels spinning in the distance, colorful buildings casting hues of blue, green, and mauve over the crowd. It’s the perfect place to force your friend to snap a photo of that “effortlessly cool” outfit you definitely spent hours planning.

Where else can you go and be a spectator in seeing the internets most adorned influencers and celebs several feet away, rocking out to the same bands you love? I’ve never made it across the Indio plains to experience it myself until this year. Our fearless leader and co-owner of the market, Koral, is celebrating her 10th Coachella anniversary. With that, tt felt like the right time to finally dive in—to let the music, the magic, and a heavy coating of desert dust wash over me. Naturally, I brought along a haul of my Monsoon Market essentials to make it an unforgettable experience.

My ideal Coachella weekend starts off landing in the desert heat and doing the least glamorous part – setting up the campsite. It’s not so bad when you’re with a seasoned crew who could recite their packing list in their sleep. The togetherness is embedded in the mutually shed sweat and tears intertwined with laughter and awe.

To prepare for the sun beating down on me, I drop a Plink into my water bottle. Plink is an easy to use electrolyte tablet with only one gram of sugar and a variety of flavors available at the market. My personal favorite flavor is the Watermelon. I plop one into my water, watch it fizz for a second, and get to work.

Another important addition to the campsite is my Big Baggu reusable bag to store all my dirty laundry of the weekend. It’s big enough to fit all of my clothes and easy to lug to and from the campsite after the weekend is over. Baggu bags are washable and can hold up to 50 pounds, which will come in clutch after toting around some very cute-but-dusty festival outfits.

Getting used to the hot weather isn’t too hard being a Phoenician, but I still pop a Sour Tangerine Flintts Mint in my mouth to help alleviate dry mouth a bit. Trust me, hydration is everything out here.

Waking up the next morning, it’s officially Day 1 of the festival, and excitement is high! Music is blasting around the campsite and we are all yapping about our fits and hey does anyone have blister bandaids? Despite my worry about how much rest I would get while camping, I slept amazing after smoking a CBD joint from Dad Grass. All the relaxation without the high (not that that’s anything I’m against!) but I wanted to wake up refreshed and ready for the long day ahead.

Since it’s my first Coachella, and I’m a photographer at my core, I throw my Strap disposable camera into my bag. Strap is a local film lab, with two locations in Phoenix and Mesa, and a film drop off at Monsoon Market, making it as easy as ever to explore the joy of capturing the moment.

I can’t forget the most important item – Vacation Sunscreen Shimmer Oil. Not only will it help keep me protected from the sun with SPF 30, but the oil adds a beautiful glittery, silky sheen that will have me glowing as I bask in awe at the icon that is Lady Gaga later that night.

Day 2. Waking up elated from the previous day of festivities with sore muscles from being on my feet and dancing, I remind myself this is only the beginning. I pop open a Recess Mood – Tropical Bliss flavor specifically. Letting the flavors of pineapple, guava, and mango wash over me along with the benefits of the 53 mg of magnesium that makes it delicious and helpful for my aching body. Among the many artists I am excited to see today are Charli XCX, Japanese Breakfast, and T-Pain.

I douse myself in a good spritz of Veil Spray to set the vibes – this herbal spray smells amazing, with notes of sweet orange, Virginia cedar, and black pepper. It is a nice refresh to my dry skin and also does an amazing job of covering up the scent of cannabis (we are at a festival after all). I know I will be craving a sweet treat while I’m frolicking around from set to set, and immediately know I need to bring the new Rotten Sour Gummy Crunchiez. Dare I say they are addicting? I discreetly toss them into my bag to prevent my friends (who I love dearly) from trying to eat them all.

Day 3!! I am officially feeling the concert fatigue, but I am having the best time. To fuel up for the day, I make some a cup of Lentifuls, which are super easy to make after asking if I can borrow the communal hot plate in our campsite to heat up some water. These instant lentil cups take less than 2 minutes to make and are a great source of protein and fiber to set me up for success for the day. I throw on my little polka dot bikini and make my way over from camp to see Amyl and the Sniffers, where I headbang so much my neck hurts.

As late afternoon hits, I pull out some Pan’s Mushroom Jerky (teriyaki flavor duh!) to snack on and reminisce on the weekend that has unfolded. It wouldn’t be as special without the friends around me who I am always reaching for during my favorite DJ set, or the way the sunset looks fading behind the palm trees. It wouldn’t be as special either without my market haul, which checked almost all my boxes for the entire trip and guaranteed a one of a kind first Coachella experience.

All of the Monsoon Market items are highly curated and brought in with intention and care. Whether you’re rallying at a music festival or braving the PHX heat with us, it doesn’t go unnoticed how the market is a two way street – the divas and our customers who trust us to make their lives even a little easier and a little more special. Come visit us, open every day in Central Phoenix from 11-7. 🙂