Following a last-minute scheduling change that saw Harry Styles replacing Ye as Friday’s headliner, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival returned last weekend for the first of its two-weekend run after two years off due to the pandemic, kicking off what will hopefully be a big return to form for the upcoming festival season and live entertainment industry in general.
This year, Coachella’s music and fashion is also available in the metaverse — specifically, on popular online game Fortnite. Until May 16th, players are able to listen to tracks by more than 30 artists performing at this year’s festival via Fortnite’s Icon Radio station during gameplay.
In addition, Fortnite is dropping Coachella-themed items for each weekend of the festival. The first drop took place last Friday and included the Wilder and Lyric Outfits as well as matching accessories. This week’s drop will include the Alto and Poet Outfits, both of which are music reactive, and their matching accessories, which will be available starting at 8pm ET on Thursday, April 21st.
The first two outfits and their accessories are available individually or as part of the Rocking at Coachella Bundle. Similarly, the outfits and accessories dropping this week will be available on their own or together in the Dancing at Coachella Bundle, which also includes a special Enter the Coachellaverse loading screen.
Fortnite has also launched a new edition of it “Fortography” photo contest, encouraging players to take screenshots celebrating in Fortnite and share them on Twitter or Reddit for a chance to be featured in an upcoming compilation blog post going live on April 29th.
While not quite as immersive as other music experiences that have taken place in the game in recent months, including Ariana Grande’s concert experience, this is the latest intersection of music and the metaverse that will allow Coachella to potentially reach new fans and allow players who can’t make it to the festival in person to still enjoy a bit of the fun.