Coachella Weekend 1 biggest moments, from Justin Bieber to celeb cameos

Amid chaos in the Southern California desert, including a car fire and dust advisory, there were several spectacular and even eyebrow-raising moments on the stage during Coachella Weekend 1.

From the booming sound of the Strokes commanding the festival and Karol G's history-making set to Justin Bieber's YouTube-era nostalgia, the 2026 festival had some of its most unforgettable performances to date.

Amid some bold choices in the first three days of the festival, including Bieber's YouTube homage and Sabrina Carpenter defying expectations about possible special guests, each performer made it clear their talent was undeniable.

From Jack White's surprise appearance to headliner Carpenter's star-studded spectacle, here are the top six moments from Coachella 2026's first weekend.

Justin Bieber singing with his childhood self

To say that the Biebs' much-anticipated Coachella debut was polarizing would be an understatement.

But regardless of whether you are a fan or a hater, there's no denying that none of us will soon forget the most unique portion of his set: when the megastar pulled out his laptop, cued up YouTube and took us on a journey through his early discography, which also included a singalong with his younger self (not to mention that quick foray down the rabbit hole to watch the Deez Nuts video).

To some, it will live on as an incisive take on the social media age and the YouTube medium that made Bieber famous. To others, it was just a lazy performance. But no one can say it wasn't different than the typical Coachella headlining spectacle. − Niki Kottmann and Paul Albani-Burgio

Sabrina Carpenter makes the bold decision to bring on actors, skip musical guests

There was much social media speculation in the weeks leading up to the fest about whom Sabrina Carpenter might bring onstage as a guest during her headlining debut. The predictions ranged from Olivia Rodrigo to Dolly Parton and Carpenter's buddy Taylor Swift, but none of those predictions was correct, because the "Manchild" singer decided not to share the spotlight with any musical artist.

She did, however, invite several actors to take part in her set, including Sam Elliott in what appeared to be a pre-taped video intro, Susan Sarandon, Carpenter's former "Girl Meets World" costar Corey Fogelmanis – for a fun interaction in a prop car during a costume change – and Will Ferrell for some comedic relief during another outfit change. − Niki Kottmann and Paul Albani-Burgio

Karol G makes history as the first Latina to headline Coachella

Reggaeton and urbano superstar Karol G closed out the festival's first weekend on Sunday, and she did so with so much joy, it brought tears to this writer's eyes.

Not only was it an incredible performance with powerful vocals, hot choreography and a super creative set design, it was a performance so genuinely rooted in Latino pride – and a desire to not only celebrate, but educate others on Latin culture – that it was hard not to ponder the impact of its timing, especially under the current administration. − Niki Kottmann and Paul Albani-Burgio

Jack White proves rock 'n' roll isn't dead

"Long live rock and roll," declared rock legend Jack White at the end of his hour-long surprise set in the Mojave tent. Well, White certainly did his part Saturday afternoon.

Words can't really do justice to the exhilarating experience that was watching White wield his guitar to produce sounds that it's almost hard to fathom coming from such a strange (but cool) looking piece of wood.

To watch White on this hot April day was to watch a now 50-year-old man over and over again come as close as humanly possible to making that tired rock metaphor become literal with one rollicking guitar solo after another, punctuated only by that ever-recognizable cartoonishly-high voice that it felt almost hard to believe that it could actually come from a person.

Yet if there were ever a person who could make such a voice, one imagines they would probably look something like White, whose distinctive stringy hair and almost shockingly pale face are somehow key components to what has always been one of the coolest looks in rock. − Paul Albani-Burgio

Addison Rae brings energy, even when vocals fall flat

TikTok star turned actress/singer Addison Rae may not be the strongest singer on the Coachella lineup this year, but she more than makes up for it in energy.

Marking her first time on the Coachella lineup, Rae was a bundle of joy to see on stage. She squealed with excitement as she looked out at the packed crowd, not believing her luck when she had the entire grounds singing along to her hit "Diet Pepsi." It was bold to make her most popular song her opener, but she was just getting started with her 50-minute set.

She asked the crowd to join her in manifesting "money's everything" as she strutted across the stage in a money boa. She even ran out into the crowd for "Von Dutch," her duet with Charli xcx who, sadly, did not come out as a special guest. In hindsight, however, that would have been too good to be true, considering that the two did just that at the English singer's set last year.

At certain points in her performance, she channeled pop princess Britney Spears, especially on "I Got It Bad," which was remixed with the beat of "...Baby One More Time." She even looked the part with her straight hair blowing in the wind − with a headset mic on − reminiscent of so many of Spears' music videos.

Though her vocals were shaky at times, and sometimes she just lip-synced, she showed everyone her dance moves, which initially got her attention on TikTok. Flips, splits and intense choreography came so naturally to her that it easily was the highlight of her set. Though she didn't bring out a special guest to join her on the mic, she did surprise the crowd with dancer Maddie Ziegler. The actress and former "Dance Moms" star came out during Rae's performance of "Aquamarine," and, unsurprisingly, she captivated viewers with her interpretive dance. − Ema Sasic

The Strokes deliver the best set of Coachella 2026 (so far)

Were The Strokes too much for Coachella's sound system? That's the conclusion I came to after their thrilling Coachella show was interrupted by several ever-so-brief instances of the sound system cutting out, only to be restored within a second or two.

The issue did nothing to detract from what was a truly thrilling show. On the contrary, it only seemed to emphasize how absolutely rocking it was. My Desert Sun colleagues and I have seen dozens of Coachella sets on the main stage between us, and we all agreed we could not recall another set that came anywhere close to matching the sheer volume with which The Strokes hits (and a few deeper cuts) were being blasted through the speakers.

It was the perfect way to see one of the great bands of the early 2000s, who also took advantage of Coachella's ability to create a spectacle to accompany several of their tunes with a hypnotic barrage of lasers.

The classic tune "Sometimes," which was accompanied not by lasers but by a nostalgic-feeling video of sights from the band's hometown of New York, was an early highlight of the show. I also cherished hearing The Strokes' biggest hit from their most recent album, "The Adults are Talking," which sounded even better live than I would've expected.

But the true showstopper was, of course, "Reptilia" which saw the band take full advantage of the booming speakers and lasers at their disposal to deliver the best performance of a song I have heard at Coachella this year.

Frontman Julian Casablancas also found plenty of chances to showcase his sardonic wit, cracking multiple jokes about how the band was opening up for Justin Bieber and mock complaining (or was he being serious?) that he couldn't see PinkPantheress' set because it was taking place at the same time as his own.

"I love an intimate affair," he sarcastically quipped at one point. − Paul Albani-Burgio