Coachella 2026

This past weekend, Coachella kicked off the first three days of its two-weekend madness: outrageous looks, overpriced everything, but also a lineup packed with the names defining today’s scene, from hip hop to indie, to pop, rock, and electronic. There’s way too much to cover, and you’ve probably seen already the most important: Sabrina Carpenter’s and Karol G’s over-the-top production, Geese covering Justin Bieber’s Baby, Slayyyter wreaking havoc (in the best way possible), The xx finally reuniting, Iggy Pop leaving the stage inside a coffin, Lykke Li’s I Follow Rivers hitting as hard as fifteen years ago… So to make things easier, we’ve selected ten surprise guest appearances that have elevated that original lineup even further in case you’ve missed them among all the digital buzz.

PinkPantheress gave the crowd what they were expecting: an electrifying party. As she kicked off her set with fan favourites from the young star’s track, she welcomed a bunch of her famous friends on stage. Including horsegirrL, Tyriq Withers (who became her Romeo), Thundercat and The Dare, who helped turn the Mojave Stage into a dance floor with his remixes.

Addison Rae owned the stage with her new-called tour #TheFameAndGloryShow, singing her biggest hits such as Diet Pepsi or Headphones On, and she even pulled off the infamous Bieber’s purple hoodie asking the crowd if they were there for JB. Keeping up the momentum, she later introduced Dance Mom’s star and SIA collaborator, Maddie Ziegler, during the performance of Aquamarine/Arcamarine, creating a huge pop culture moment. The presence of the dancer was unmistakable, dressed in a translucent flowy white dress that contrasted with Rae’s red latex lingerie set.

Katseye started captivating the Sahara Stage with the first-ever performance of their newly release single, Pinky Up. But of course, surprises didn’t stop there; as the Grammy nominees took the stage, the golden appearance of the song with the same title raised expectations even further. And they didn’t disappoint at all, as Huntr/X vocalists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami appeared on stage making one of the most iconic moments of this year’s Coachella, creating a powerful girl-band combo.

One of the most talked-about moments of this year’s Coachella was the appearance of Billy Corgan, the lead of The Smashing Pumpkins, among the rising artist, Sombr. The latter had already dominated the stage with the songs on his debut album, I Barely Know Her. Later on, during the performance of 1979, Corgan (the original frontman of the song) appeared for his first ever Coachella performance.

During her first-ever full set at Coachella, Oklou lit up the Gobi Stage with the cameo of several guests, including Underscores. Performing Harvest Sky from a raised platform, Underscores snuck her way onstage, making her second appearance at the Californian festival. Oklou kept the energy high with the crowd as she also brought Casey MQ for Take Me by Hand. 

Coachella’s first weekend wrapped up last Sunday with an unforgettable finale, led by the first Latina woman to headline the festival and a reggaeton legend’s welcoming. Karol G and Wisin delivered a historic performance, showcasing the world how far Urban Latin music has come, making thousands of Latinxs in the US (and around the world) proud. 

M.I.A surprised fans by showing up during the Major Lazer’s show to sing Paper Planes. The track was one of the biggest hits in 2008. Speaking of, it was at Coachella 2008 that the singer and Diplo’s project performed it live, making this year’s reunion a sort of full-circle moment.

Both artists demonstrated their creative connection, only achieved after several collaborations (Mk.gee co-wrote many of Dijon’s songs and Dijon worked on Mk.gee’s debut, as well as their joint work on Justin Bieber’s Swag and Swag II). Mike Gordon (aka Mk.gee.) appeared on Dijon’s stage to play some of the headliner’s tracks, including Talk Down, Higher! and Big Mike’s.

Little Simz kept the streak of the legendary cameos going, as she devoured the stage alongside her next collaborator, JT, with whom she is about to launch a single. Both artists debuted their new song, Game On, delivering one of the most unexpected collaborations of the third day. 

The headliner of the second (and most acclaimed) day, Justin Bieber gave the crowd everything they wanted and more — mostly, nostalgia. He performed songs from his two-part album Swag, as well as keeping longtime Believers thrilled by singing his most famous and historical hits while scrolling YouTube. The Canadian superstar also brought Tems and Wizkid for the performance of Essence. Some have described the moment as a cultural milestone, as it is the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. By rescuing the 2021 hit, the trio projected the importance of the African beat into the bases of pop music.