"SabChella,' "BieberChella" and "Karolchella": A Coachella 2026 Recap
- Erin St. Denis
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
By: Erin St. Denis
The 25th Coachella festival returned to Indio, CA from April 10 to 19, 2026. This year, Karol G, Sabrina Carpenter, and Justin Bieber headlined, bringing two vibrant weekends full of pop music and surprise guests.
Sabrina Carpenter headlined Friday night, returning to the festival after her debut set in 2024. Carpenter released her viral hit "Espresso" just before her previous set which catapulted her into fame. Carpenter then predicted herself as a future headliner during her signature "Nonsense" outro - "Coachella see you back here when I headline."
As a headliner two years later, Carpenter embraced a theatrical retro Hollywood vibe on stage. She included dance moves from classic musicals such as "Hello Dolly!" (1964) as well as a "SabrinaWood" sign, mimicking the well-known Hollywood sign. She further excited the crown when she brought out Hollywood legends including Genna Davis, Susan Sarandon, Terry Crews, Will Ferrell and Samuel L. Jackson.
The night's most surprising guest was Madonna, who joined Carpenter for weekend two. The pair performed "Vogue" and "Like A Prayer" as well as an unreleased song of Madonna's with a rumored title of "Bring Your Love."
Carpenter stirred up backlash before beginning a song on piano when an audience member yelled out a cultural chant called a zaghrouta to which Carpenter responded with, "I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it.”
"It's my culture," the fan said.
“That’s your culture … is yodeling?”
“It’s a call, it’s a call of celebration."
“Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird," Carpenter said before beginning her performance of "We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night."
Carpenter faced significant backlash online due to this interaction. Many pointed out that the zaghrouta is a Middle Eastern call and were disappointed that Carpenter complained and judged the cultural expression. Carpenter took to X the next day to issue a public apology.
"my apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. my reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better! now i know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out," the singer wrote.
Carpenter went on to perform in weekend two after this controversy and discussions about the offensive incident seem to have simmered down online since.
On Saturday, Justin Bieber performed a stripped-down set reminiscent of his recent Grammy's performance. Moments went viral when Bieber projected from his MacBook old YouTube videos of him singing hits like "Baby" and "Beauty and a Beat." While he did not bring out Nicki Minaj for "Beauty and a Beat," Bieber brought out surprise guests such as SexyyRed, Big Sean, SZA, Dijon and Billie Eilish to liven up the crowd.
This nostalgia driven set was made sweeter when Billie Eilish was surprisingly pushed on stage as Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl." It was revealed that Hailey and Justin Bieber had planned this surprise for Eilish, who has always admitted to being a huge "Belieber." She could barely walk on stage and was crying the entire time before taking to Instagram to share how much that moment meant to her.
Karol G made history as the first Latina artist to headline Coachella and brought in surprise guests like J Balvin, Peso Pluma and Becky G. The Columbian star opened her set with a video telling the story of a young girl and emphasizes the power of her ancestors.
"You have forgotten that this is a woman's world. Use your voice," The sets opening video states. "Latina Forever"
Karol G's performances included impressive choreography, cave-like set pieces and three levels of dancers surrounding the singer. The set was high energy and celebrated Latin culture heavily.
During her set, Karol G celebrated the flags of Latin America as they surrounded her onstage and she asked the crowd to raise any flags they had. Both weekends were reminiscent of Bad Bunny's legendary Super Bowl Halftime Show in Feb 2026 where he also heavily praised the people of Latin America.
To end the night during weekend two, Karol G announced her next tour. The crowd went wild as screens lit up with "Nos Vamos de Tour" during her hit song "Provenza." No tour dates have been posted on the star's website, but this sneak peek has fans excited for the ability to see the singer energize the stage in person again, or for their first time.
Coachella 2026 brought energy, pop, reggaeton and nostalgia to Coachella Valley. Coachella continues to be a monumental event each year as people from across the world tune in to watch sets streamed live on YouTube.
Festival goers and online viewers noticed that weekend two seemed to have more special guests than weekend one, which is something to keep in mind if you ever decide to check out a Coachella weekend for yourself.
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