The best part of Coachella wasn’t even part of the lineup. It was the surprise performances from celebrities who popped up onstage throughout the music festival from April 12 to 14.
Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, and Tyler, the Creator headlined the 2024 event, with notable performers including Ice Spice, J Balvin, Lil Uzi Vert, Sabrina Carpenter, Renée Rapp, Victoria Monét, and the No Doubt reunion. Many pulled out all the stops and had surprises up their sleeve, with artists like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Bieber coming out to perform.
While she didn’t get on stage, even Taylor Swift joined in on the fun, jamming out in the audience to her friend Ice Spice and supporting her collaborator Jack Antonoff from backstage as he performed with Bleachers. (Sadly, the Queen of Coachella, Vanessa Hudgens, was not present this year, likely due to her pregnancy.)
In case you missed out, read on for the 10 most surprising celeb guest performances from Coachella 2024.
Billie Eilish
Coachella’s surprises started off strong when Billie Eilish made a guest appearance during Lana Del Rey’s headlining set on Friday night. In a sweet gesture, the two duetted on their first singles, starting with Eilish’s 2017 breakout song “Ocean Eyes” before going into Del Rey’s 2011 debut hit “Video Games,” both of them sounding at home on each other’s songs.
The next day, Eilish emerged again by doing a surprise DJ set at the festival’s DoLab, where she previewed new songs from her upcoming album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.
Shakira
Across the Polo Fields, Shakira joined Argentine DJ Bizarrap on the Sahara Stage to perform their two collaborations. She also used this opportunity to announce that she was going on a world tour, which will kick off in November.
Paris Hilton
Vampire Weekend was already a surprise addition to the Coachella lineup, but the band themselves had a very unexpected guest in store. During their Saturday afternoon set, Paris Hilton went on stage to… play cornhole. (Yes, really). It was a fun moment, but “Stars Are Blind” deserved a performance.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo’s just a girl. No Doubt celebrated their first show in nine years by having Gwen Stefani bring out Rodrigo to perform their 2000 hit “Bathwater.” This was a full-circle moment for Rodrigo, who named “Bathwater” as one of her 18 favorite songs for her 18th birthday in 2021 and praised Stefani for her “honest” songwriting.
Childish Gambino
After Donald Glover supported the launch of Tyler, the Creator’s collection with Louis Vuitton, he brought his music persona, Childish Gambino, to support Tyler’s headlining set at Coachella. He joined the rapper onstage for “Running Out of Time.”
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado proved that she was an absolute pro at Coachella. The singer showed up during Dom Dolla’s set (which was attended by none other than Swift) to perform their collab, “Eat Your Man,” plus her own hit “Maneater.” But during her number, Furtado fell over and then got up a second later as if nothing happened, without missing a single note.
Kesha
After dancing with Hilton and Kyle Richards at No Doubt’s show the night prior, Kesha surprised fans during Reneé Rapp’s Sunday set to perform her debut hit, “TiK ToK.” It even came with a surprise change, as Kesha amended the song’s first line from “feeling like P. Diddy” to “f*ck P.Diddy,” amidst the rapper’s ongoing sexual assault allegations.
Will Smith
A Men In Black sequel happened at Coachella — kind of. Will Smith came out during J Balvin’s Sunday night performance, decked out in his full Men In Black suit and sunglasses, to perform the title track of his famed 1997 film. J Balvin made himself part of the plot by getting dragged off stage by dancers as Smith zapped him with the movie’s “Neuralyzer” to complete the sci-fi fantasy.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber loves a Coachella guest appearance. After performing with Ariana Grande in 2019 and Daniel Caesar in 2022, he returned to the festival again on Sunday to surprise fans during Tems’ set along with Wizkid, with the trio performing their “Essence” remix.
A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky pulled double duty at Coachella. After appearing during Tyler, the Creator’s set to perform their songs “Potato Salad” and “Who Dat Boy,” he reappeared the next day to perform with Sunday headliner Doja Cat, debuting their new collaboration “Urrrge” onstage. And yes, Rihanna was also there to support him the whole weekend.