Coachella Expanding To 2 Weekends In 2012

INDIO (CBS) — The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will be expanded to two weekends next year, event organizers announced Tuesday.

The annual festival at Indio's Empire Polo Grounds will be held April 13- 15 and return for the weekend of April 20-22.

"In an effort to try and accommodate everyone who wants to experience the festival, Coachella 2012 will be two separate events, held over two consecutive weekends," the announcement said. "We will attempt to produce two identical festival weekends. That means same lineup, same art, same place, different people."

Passes, $269 each, will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via the festival's website. Early purchases, which include an installment payment option, will be available until June 10 at 10 p.m.

Early ticket buyers can pay 10 percent down and eight monthly installments.

The change in early ticket sales was made because passes to this year's festival "sold out much sooner than anticipated," and the promoters were "surprised by the overwhelming response" that left the festival sold out a week after tickets went on sale -- in January.

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