Celebrity Cruises set to take Coachella to sea

Organisers behind the Coachella music festival have confirmed they will take the event to the high-seas later this year with a cruise onboard Celebrity Silhouette. Acts including Pulp, Hot Chip, Girl Talk, Yeasayer, Sleigh Bells, and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem are expected to take the stage during the event, scheduled for December. Celebrity is following the lead of rock band Weezer, who offered a similar departure onboard Carnival Destiny, while pop star R Kelly will take the same vessel to the Caribbean later this year. Celebrity will rebrand the 1,000-foot, 122,000-ton Silhouette the SS Coachella for the latest cruise, offering room for just shy of 3,000 music fans. Celebrity president Paul Tollett described the vessel as “perfect” for the event, with its cabana-style alcoves and theater he branded a “mini Royal Albert Hall”. Two voyages, both departing from Fort Lauderdale, will be on offered. The first will sail to the Bahamas on December 16th for a three night tour, while a four-day itinerary to Jamaica will sail on December 19th. Tickets are priced from $500 a cabin, based on four sharing, rising to $9,000 for the luxury accommodation.