On Friday, February 20, St. Louis Hall was transformed from an ordinary high school gym in Woodland Hills to the iconic Coachella fairgrounds of Indio, California. Although it wasn’t exactly like the outdoor music festival with sweltering heat and designer outfits, Louisville’s take on Coachella - Louchella -  was a huge success with all grade levels. 

Unlike Coachella, Louchella had to be hosted inside due to the frigid 57 degree temperature. Louchella was a blend between the iconic desert festival and an intimate, coffee-house open mic night. 

Decorations included a “Louchella” banner hand painted by ASB with palm trees, pink gradient mountains and a ferris wheel to pay tribute to the original Coachella posters. Additionally, the artists performed in front of the window side of the Hall, with lights strung along the wall and their instruments on top of a large rug to act as their stage, furthering the intimate, open-mic feel. 

One of the reasons why Louchella was such a unique event is because of the club participation. Many clubs were “vendors” and sold various items. 

ASB had their very own “ASBoutique” where they sold leftover items from the Flea Market. The GirlUp sold handmade friendship bracelets, and the Animation Club and Gay Straight Alliance Club sold handmade pins. Book Club held a book drive and sold lightly used books, and finally the Weightlifting Club sold workout-themed stickers, brownies and cookies. 

Like the many rows of food trucks at Coachella, the clubs sold various types of foods and delicacies, although not as overpriced. The Asian and Pacific Islanders Club sold gyozas, freshly made white rice, mochi and various Asian candies. The Hispanic Heritage Club sold warm, buttery Mexican street corn and conchas, a traditional Mexican sweet bread with sugary topping. ASB sold candies, water, chips and pizza. 

Louchella attendees roamed freely about the different vendors, and when it was time to begin watching the performances, everyone sat down on rugs, pillows and blankets in the audience to listen attentively. 

The evening opened with Louisville’s own rock band, the Winkiez! Subsequent performances included Kate Ben ’26 singing her original song “bare minimum,” Emma Ford ’27 performing her poetry “When Is It Enough?”, Fifi Chahayed ’26 sang “I Know” by Fiona Apple, Elle Blount ’27 and Mahina Choothesa-Sargis '28 did a duet of “Seventeen” from the West-End Musical “Heathers,” and many, many more! 

The night concluded with performances from two Crespi rock bands, and the final act of the night was a surprise, somewhat of a flash mob in which ASB performed “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. 

The first annual Louchella was a huge hit, and we look forward to seeing the various takes on Louchella in the future!