Everything We Know About Kanye West’s Sunday Service at Coachella

By Erin Nyren

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Coachella attendees who were hoping to sleep in Sunday morning after Kid Cudi’s midnight set the night before are out of luck, at least if they want to attend Kanye West’s mysterious Easter Sunday Service.

But what is the Sunday Service? Music industry insiders might be familiar, but it’s likely most visitors, barring major Kanye fans, hadn’t heard of it until they received an email a few weeks back announcing the event. Here’s everything we know going in.

Where is it? 

The Sunday Service takes place at a location known as “the mountain” in the Coachella campground. Don’t go looking for snowy peaks — hiking boots are hardly required for the gentle hillside, which has always been a popular destination for watching the dusk but, this Easter Sunday, will start filling up around the crack of dawn.

West elevated the hillside when he announced the Coachella performance at a previous service: “Then they had a mountain, he had a mountain waiting for us,” West told attendees. “He had a date waiting for us. Only one date that mountain would be available to us: Easter Sunday at Coachella.”

Don’t fret about mapping out “the mountain” in advance if you’re not familiar with the campgrounds. There’s nothing else going on at the festival in the morning hours and, beyond the expected signage, attendants will be well aware of why it is you didn’t sleep in and where to point you.

When is it?

The service begins at 9 a.m. sharp… in person and on YouTube. (The video site is promising a “curated” live-stream on weekend 2, and the Sunday Service is very much part of the curation). That doesn’t mean showing up at 9 is a good idea; it’s possible that a mainstage field-sized crowd will show up for a space that can’t hold that many people. Plenty of festival-goers will probably stake out their spots right when “doors” open at 6 a.m. (We’ll find out what the Coachella equivalent of “latecomers will be seated in the narthex” is.)

Is it being livestreamed?

Yes – you can watch beginning at 9 a.m. PT on Coachella’s YouTube Channel .

Do I need a special ticket?

No — if you have a pass for weekend 2, you’re covered.

How do I get there?

The usual day-use parking lots for the festival will open four hours earlier than normal, at 6 a.m.. That’s the same time that gates open for the Sunday Service area. (Obviously, anyone already camped near that spot will have a slight head start on getting in.)

Shuttles from several nearby resorts, hotels or even supermarkets will be available starting at 6 or 7. You will need a pass to use the shuttle service; those are described as first-come, first-served and will be distributed at the pickup sites.

Shuttles starting at 6 a.m.

• Renaissance Palm Springs

Shuttles starting at 6:30 a.m.

• Agua Caliente

Shuttles starting at 7 a.m.

• JW Marriott
• La Quinta
• Indian Wells Tennis Garden
• Albertsons Palm Desert

What is it?

Variety got all the details on West’s Sunday Service, which sprang up at the beginning of the year, back in March. Click here for a full breakdown or read below.

West began holding the services in January, with a different location ranging from Calabasas to Portland each Sunday. According to attendees, the event consists of a pre-service — more like a brunch — and an actual service.

Barring a repeat of the biblical miracle of the fish and loaves, t’s unlikely a brunch will be held for a massive crowd at Coachella. But for the service itself, attendees can look forward to what’s been termed a spiritual reinterpretation of some of West’s songs, including “Jesus Walks,” “Lift Off,” and “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1.”

Based on Instagram videos, think gospel choir and full band, plus West.

Will there be guest artists?

Hard to say. It doesn’t appear previous iterations of the service have included featured artists, but it’s Coachella. With so many musicians at the ready, one can never rule out a surprise appearance. Plus, the congregations of West’s services have been star-studded, from DMX to Lil Dickey to Fred Hammond — and those services are invite-only. Basically, don’t get your hopes up, but also keep your eyes peeled.

Will Kim Kardashian West be there?

It’s possible. Kardashian serves as the unofficial videographer, capturing content for Twitter and Instagram. She attended Coachella in 2016, so it’s not out of her wheelhouse.