Loop's Stylish Earplugs Make Noise At Coachella

Forbes

17-04-2025

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2025
Courtesy of Coachella
In the heart of California's desert landscape, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has already transformed its first April weekend into a celebration of sound, art, and culture unlike any other. The iconic festival, which took place April 11-13 and returns April 18-20, has already drawn tens of thousands of music enthusiasts who experienced performances by Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, Travis Scott, and dozens more acclaimed artists. The second weekend is set to bring the same excitement to a new wave of festival-goers. This year, however, marks a significant shift in festival culture as Loop Earplugs steps into position as Coachella's first official earplug partner, introducing a collaboration that promises to change how attendees experience—and preserve—festival sound. This partnership arrives at a critical moment, as the kickoff of festival season coincides with growing awareness about hearing health and the need for protective measures that don't compromise the immersive musical experience that defines Coachella.
Loop x Coachella Experience 2 with carrying case
Loop Earplugs
At the intersection of wellness and style, the Loop x Coachella Experience 2 earplugs emerge as a distinctive addition to the festival landscape. Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking natural environment that surrounds the festival grounds, these limited-edition earplugs feature a gradient design that captures the essence of the California desert's transformation from day to night. Soft peach tones blend seamlessly into dreamy blues, mirroring the palette of Coachella sunrises and sunsets that have become as iconic as the performances themselves. Each set comes with a matching Loop x Coachella Carry Case, with the optional Link connector cord available for those who plan to dance without pause through shifting desert winds. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these earplugs represent a fundamental reimagining of hearing protection, offering 17 decibels of noise reduction while maintaining audio clarity—allowing festival-goers to enjoy front-row experiences without sacrificing sound quality or risking hearing damage.
Loop Earplugs collaboration with Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Loop Earplugs
Coachella's evolution from a counterculture gathering to a globally recognized cultural force has always reflected broader societal shifts, from fashion and technology to attitudes about sustainability and wellness. The festival has grown not just in size but in sophistication, developing into a multifaceted experience that extends beyond music to encompass art installations, culinary experiences, and technological innovation. This partnership with Loop represents the next logical progression in that evolution—an acknowledgment that truly forward-thinking events must consider not just the immediate experience but its long-term sustainability for both individuals and the culture they represent. The desert setting of Coachella, with its stark beauty and extreme conditions, has always demanded adaptation from its attendees. Proper hydration, sun protection, and footwear have long been essentials on the festival checklist. The addition of hearing protection to this list of necessities recognizes that sensory wellbeing requires the same thoughtful preparation.
Loop Earplugs
Loop Earplugs
Traditional approaches to hearing protection at concerts and festivals have historically fallen short of addressing both functional and social needs. Conventional foam earplugs, while affordable and somewhat effective at reducing volume, tend to muffle sound indiscriminately, creating an underwater listening effect that diminishes musical clarity and detail. Their utilitarian appearance and association with industrial use or sleep aids created a stigma that kept many style-conscious festival attendees from adopting them, regardless of their protective benefits. The Loop x Coachella Experience 2 earplugs directly address these shortcomings through acoustic filter technology that reduces volume while preserving sound fidelity—maintaining the crucial balance between bass, midrange, and treble frequencies that gives live music its distinctive character. Their design transforms hearing protection from a purely functional item into a fashion accessory that complements rather than compromises carefully curated festival aesthetics. As Maarten Bodewes, cofounder of Loop Earplugs, explains, 'If it goes in your ears, it has to look good. From day one, we didn't just want Loop to be functional — we wanted it to feel like jewelry. But also by the idea that something once stigmatized could become something people are proud to wear. That's how you shift behavior — not with guilt, but with desire.'
Green Day show Weekend One at Coachella 2025
Courtesy of Coachella
The mainstreaming of hearing protection at festivals represents a victory for hearing health advocates who have long warned about the risks associated with loud music. For years, these concerns were sidelined in festival culture, with volume often equated with immersion and intensity. The shift toward embracing protection without compromising enjoyment mirrors similar evolutions in other recreational fields—just as skiers and snowboarders have embraced helmets without diminishing their enjoyment of the sport, music enthusiasts are discovering that hearing protection can be integrated seamlessly into the festival experience. 'Most brands treated hearing protection like a medical device. We didn't. We saw it as an extension of identity. Nobody was thinking about culture, about self-expression — only about compliance. But hearing is one of your five senses. It deserves more than a foam bullet,' adds Bodewes. This normalization process has been accelerated by social media, where influencers and celebrities have been spotted wearing stylish earplugs at major events. Bodewes continues, 'Hearing is one of our most powerful senses, but it's often the most ignored. For us, hearing wellness means helping people stay connected to the world, without getting overwhelmed by it. Loop's role is to make sound feel more intentional — to give people the power to dial down the noise without disappearing from the moment.'
Loop Booth at Coachella 2025
Loop Earplugs
As Coachella leads the way with its official earplug partnership, the trend is likely to expand across the festival landscape. Major events from Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza to international festivals like Glastonbury and Tomorrowland, who also have a multi-year partnership with Loop, may soon feature similar initiatives tailored to their specific aesthetics and audiences. The integration of hearing wellness into festival culture opens the door for further health-conscious innovations—future festivals might feature app-based noise monitoring that alerts attendees when they've been in high-decibel areas too long, or wearable technology that tracks cumulative sound exposure throughout an event. Festival organizers are increasingly recognizing that protecting attendees' hearing doesn't diminish the experience but enhances it, acknowledging that part of creating a world-class festival involves thinking about how attendees can continue to enjoy music for years to come.
Yuma tent at Coachella 2025
Courtesy of Coachella
Within the bustling marketplace of Coachella, the Loop x Coachella Experience 2 earplugs and Loop x Coachella Link connector cord are available through multiple channels. Those who secured festival passes during November's advance sale received first access to the limited-edition items, but additional inventory is available online at loopearplugs.com, as well as onsite at merchandise stands and mobile vending booths throughout both festival weekends. This wide availability ensures that hearing protection is as accessible as other festival essentials, from sunscreen to water bottles, reinforcing its status as a necessary component of the festival experience rather than an optional add-on.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2025
Courtesy of Coachella
As Coachella kicks off the 2025 festival season, the presence of specially designed hearing protection signals a new era in how we approach these beloved cultural gatherings. In this vision of the festival future, taking care of one's hearing is as natural a part of attendance as posting the perfect sunset photo or dancing until dawn. The normalization of hearing protection represents a maturation of festival culture—an acknowledgment that the best experiences are those that can be repeated sustainably throughout a lifetime. By preserving hearing health, attendees are investing in their ability to appreciate music not just during one weekend in April, but for decades of festivals to come.