The Coachella music festival is making a comeback after a three-year absence

It was a date marked by all music lovers.

On Friday, the major Coachella music festival reopened in California for the first time since 2019 and the Covid-19 epidemic.

Thus, the thousands of spectators present were able to witness the sensational performance of the Brazilian Anitta, who then paved the way for the American rapper Snoop Dogg, who interpreted with her the hit “Mas Que Nada”.

also 💚 @SnoopDogg pic.twitter.com/YZYyf6pKKH

— Coachella (@coachella) April 16, 2022

Even if the cases of Covid-19 increase in the United States in recent weeks, the festival should welcome in Indio, in the Californian desert, hundreds of thousands of people during two weekends of three days.

"I'm vaccinated and we're outdoors, I'm not worried at all, I really needed that," Katie, 22, told AFP on her second trip. at Coachella.

Highly anticipated Billie Eilish and The Weeknd

If the Brazilian Anitta therefore opened the ball in a spectacular way, it is the superstars Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd, accompanied by Swedish House Mafia, who are the headliners this year.

The interpreter of "Save Your Tears" has also replaced rapper Kanye West at the last minute, who withdrew to everyone's surprise.

Among the big names at Coachella this year are also rapper Megan Thee Stallion, Phoebe Bridgers, Doja Cat and Lil Baby.

The French from L'Impératrice, the Belgian superstar Stromae, the Palestinian DJ Sama'Abdulhadi and the South African Black Coffee are also on the programme.

No masks or proof of vaccination required

The 2020 edition of the festival had been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and two years of chaotic cancellations, concert date and program changes followed.

After a three-year hiatus, Coachella is seen as a test event for an industry still unstable after all the pandemic-related setbacks.

Watch the Coachella livestream with @nikizefanya on https://t.co/369m1pEHng pic.twitter.com/b1xEcQvw1q

— Coachella (@coachella) April 16, 2022

Organizers said they would not require proof of vaccinations, masks or social distancing.

However, two Covid-19 screening sites are available on site.

The festival is held mainly outdoors, in Indio, in the Californian desert, welcoming some 125,000 enthusiasts a day from all over the world.

If the cases have fallen sharply since January in the United States, their number is however beginning to rise according to the authorities.

For example, some universities have reinstated the mask requirement, but restrictions remain minimal in most of the country, including California.