Coachella headliner Sabrina Carpenter teases day #1 performance with desert pit stop

WASHINGTON — Sabrina Carpenter is looking to turn Southern California into “Sabrinawood,” as thousands of fans flock to the Coachella 2026 on its first day on Friday. 

The singer teased her performance at the music festival, releasing a stop-motion animation of a ‘50s Chevy Bel Air cruising through a SoCal desert onto her Instagram page. 

“See you tomorrow night at Coachella,” the singer told her 51 million followers on Instagram on Thursday.  

In many ways, Carpenter, 26, is the picture-perfect artist to kick off the event. Like many of her contemporaries, the “Espresso” singer, originally from Quakertown, Pa., has shifted toward a more Western persona in her more recent releases. Her “Manchild” video, with its endless vignettes of Carpenter’s gonzo hitchhiking adventures in the desert, made her destined to end up in the Coachella Valley.  

Carpenter even went as far as to create her own pit stop in India, Calif. dubbed “Sabrina’s Pit Stop” with private tours booked through Airbnb. Only slightly more exclusive than your local Buc-ee’s or Wawa, Carpenter’s pit stop’s private offering was sold out while open to the public at select times over the weekend.

“This isn’t a typical pit stop — it’s a surrealist fantasy land,” the event page teases. “Take some photos for me.”

Not the only heavy hitter in Friday’s lineup, Carpenter will follow indie rock band The XX, electronic dance music royalty Disclosure and Ethel Cain. The stacked list of Friday acts also includes Foster The People, Devo, Sexyy Red and Teddy Swims. 

Carpenter is the first of three weekend headliners. On Saturday, Justin Bieber will be the final act, while Colombian reggaeton superstar. And on Saturday, it’s Colombian reggaeton superstar Karol G’s turn. 

Coachella lasts two three-day weekends. The second weekend of Coachella begins on Friday April 17 and finishes on Sunday April 19.