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Coachella Lineup in September? Why the Festival Is Going on Sale So Early in 2026

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On Tuesday (Sept. 16), concert promotion company Goldenvoice released the lineup for the 2026 Coachella festival, with headliners Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G and Justin Bieber topping a packed bill that also includes Turnstile, Teddy Swims, Devo, David Bryne, Young Thug, Iggy Pop and a set by electronic artist Anyma.

The lineup for this year’s festival was announced far earlier than in past years and reflects a growing trend in the festival business to get on sale early — passes for next year’s edition go on sale Friday (Sept. 19) — and sell as many tickets as possible. Like Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Coachella is essentially on sale year-round. Less than two weeks after the 2025 festival wrapped on April 20, early bird tickets went on sale for Coachella 2026.

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Many fans buy Coachella tickets in advance, knowing they’ll attend no matter who plays the festival. But sales for the event, for which GA tickets are priced at $549 per person, really ramp up after the lineup is announced. For most of the 2010s, the festival’s lineup wasn’t announced until the first week of January. That forced other festivals with artists on their lineup who were also playing Coachella to hold back their lineup announcements until Coachella organizers announced theirs.

That began to change after the pandemic, beginning in 2024, when the lineup was announced one week later than normal, on Jan. 16. Unfortunately, the lineup — which featured headliners Tyler, the Creator, Lana Del Rey and Doja Cat — didn’t click with fans and tickets to the first weekend, which had previously sold out in hours, took weeks to sell through. Ultimately, approximately 160,000 tickets were sold for Coachella in 2024, or 80,000 per weekend, according to a report from government officials in Indio.

For the 2025 festival, headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day and Travis Scott, Coachella organizers put tickets on sale in mid-November and came far closer to reaching capacity, with sales of 120,000 tickets per weekend, sources tell Billboard.

This year, Coachella organizers are doubling down on their ticketing strategy for the 2025 festival — when tickets went on sale six weeks ahead of New Year’s — by putting them on sale nearly three and a half months earlier than previous years. One booking agent who has booked several acts to play Coachella says the longer lead time is just a reflection of today’s consumer landscape.

“Coachella is still the biggest festival in the world and a massive platform for the biggest artists in the world, but there’s just a lot more competition for consumer dollars,” the booking agent source, speaking on background, tells Billboard. “The sooner festivals like Coachella can go on sale to consumers, the sooner they can start ticket sales and work towards selling the tens of thousands of tickets it takes for each weekend to sell out.”

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Kendrick Lamar, Clipse & Doechii Show Rap Can Shine in Every Style With 2026 Grammy Noms

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On Friday (Nov. 7), the Recording Academy unveiled the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, and as always, the hip-hop world has plenty to celebrate and debate. With everyone on pins and needles, this year’s lineup delivers no shortage of storylines, surprises and standout performances from rap’s elite.

For the second consecutive year, Kendrick Lamar leads all contenders with a staggering nine nominations, courtesy of his late-2024 masterclass, GNX. After last year’s dominant run, capped by him ultimately claiming song and record of the year for “Not Like Us” at the Grammys in February, Lamar is looking to go back-to-back, with “Luther” also recognized in both categories. Joining him in the Big Four categories are fellow rap titans Tyler, The Creator and the Clipse, both of whom are nominated for album of the year. Tyler’s Chromokopia flexed his creative range and unfiltered candor, while Clipse’s unapologetic return to their trademark druglord narratives with Let God Sort Em Out sparked a wave of critical acclaim and Grammy contention.

The women of hip-hop also showed out in this year’s nominations, further proving the genre’s depth. Doechii, Cardi B, and GloRilla each earned major recognition, underscoring why rap remains in a healthy, evolving place despite outside noise. Doechii, who claimed best rap album last year, scored six more nominations on the strength of her viral smash “Anxiety” and the enduring impact of Alligator Bites Never Heal. Likewise, GloRilla’s 2024 comeback has catapulted her back to the top of the food chain, marking a powerful redemption run.

See what else Billboard has to say about this year’s hip-hop nominees below.

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From The Weeknd to Gracie Abrams, Which Snubbed Artist Should’ve Gotten a 2026 Grammy Nod? Vote!

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Numerous artists are currently flying high after scoring 2026 Grammy nominations on Friday (Nov. 7) –but there are also several major contenders who didn’t get quite as lucky.

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Despite garnering major award buzz this past year, stars such as The Weeknd, Gracie Abrams and Alex Warren didn’t get recognized in certain categories, which were unveiled Friday morning in a livestream on the Grammy website. The absence of the artist born Abel Tesfaye from the nominations list was particularly noticeable, as he had just reconciled with the academy last year and dropped Billboard 200-topping album Hurry Up Tomorrow in February. But while Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny got honors in the album of the year category, The Weeknd did not.

Both Abrams and Warren were also excluded from the major categories, with neither “That’s So True” nor “Ordinary” getting song or record of the year consideration, even though those were two of the biggest Billboard Hot 100-charting tracks of the year. Warren at least scored a nod for best new artist, but that category was also missing several big names, including Zach Top, Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Ravyn Lenae.

The producer of the year, non classical category will turn heads for the second year in a row as well, as Jack Antonoff — who was notably excluded from the list in 2025 — once again did not make the cut. That comes in spite of his work on two album of theyear contenders, Lamar’s GNX and Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, both of which spent time at No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart. Instead, Dan Auerbach, Cirkut, Dijon, Blake Mills and Sounwave will fight it out for the prize.

But while the academy’s word is final, it’s your turn to share how you feel about the outcome of the initial voting process this year. Have any strong feelings on which snubbed artist was the most deserving of recognition? We want to know.

Tell us who you think should have been nominated in a category they were shut out of by voting in the poll below.

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Pete Davidson Surprises on ‘SNL,’ Jokes About Ferry Boat He Bought With Colin Jost: Watch

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Pete Davidson returned to Saturday Night Live for a surprise appearance on Nov. 8.

The comedian and actor, who was an SNL cast member from 2014 to 2022, crashed the “Weekend Update” segment to poke fun at a recent article about a decommissioned Staten Island ferry he purchased with Colin Jost in 2022. The two had planned to transform the vessel into an upscale entertainment venue.

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The New York Times recently ran an article calling the Staten Island Ferry that I purchased with Pete Davidson a ‘money-losing fiasco.’ With more on this, is Pete Davidson,” Jost said in introducing The King of Staten Island star.

“Colin, you’re looking great as ever. [Michael] Che, starting to crack,” Davidson joked, mentioning his recent appearance at the 2025 Riyadh Comedy Festival and that he’s expecting his first child.

“So yeah, in case you’re wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we’re losing millions on this ferry,” he continued. “I assume that’s what the article says. I can’t spend $5 on a paywall when I got a kid on the way.”

Davidson and Jost then continued trading jokes about the 2,109-ton ferry, which they bought at a New York auction for $280,100.

“We even gave the boat a new name,” Davidson said. “We thought the Staten Island Ferry sounded too depressing, so now it’s called the Titanic 2.” Jost added, “That’s right, and it’s actually going very well. Recently, we got paid by Nike to put an ad on it for the New York City Marathon.”

Earlier on Saturday, Davidson told People that he’d “do anything” for SNL boss Lorne Michaels, saying he’d return to the show if asked.

“I had a great time hosting last time, and anytime you get that call, it’s an honor and a privilege,” the eight-season SNL vet said. “It’s always relevant, it’s a hot show. People look forward to it, and the cast is great.”

Saturday’s episode was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, with singer-songwriter Sombr serving as the musical guest.

Watch SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment with Davidson below, and find all the ways to stream the full episode here.

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