Forget Paul McCartney, the Crystal Method or The Cure.

The highlight of this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is Hand of Man, an enormous steel appendage that can lift cars.

According to 8-year-old Vivien, anyway.

Vivien, the daughter of Chris Bockenhauer and Lina Willis of San Diego, has been to countless music festivals all over the country. But Coachella ranks among her favorites, though, mostly for the larger-than-life, mind-boggling art installations.

“As soon as she saw the big hand, Vivien yelled to her brother, ‘You've got to see this,'” Willis said. “It's fun to see the kids getting so excited about art.”

While the thought of a three-day music festival in the desert sounds like it could be intimidating for children — with performers with names like The Kills, The Horrors, Murder City Devils and My Bloody Valentine on the bill — festival-going parents say the event is fun for the entire family.

The atmosphere is laid-back. The art installations inspire creativity and play. And patches of shade on the lawn provide space for nap time.

“There aren't a lot of festivals as family friendly as Coachella,” Willis said. “There aren't a lot of drunks wandering around, like other concerts,” Bockenhauer said.

They said the family enjoyed Paul McCartney's Friday night set and was looking forward to M.I.A. Saturday.

“We play the 'Slumdog Millionaire' soundtrack a lot in the car,” Bockenhauer said.

Even families with older children came together to enjoy the show.

Joseph Forgrave and son Josiah paused inside the Coachella gates.

“Let's take a picture for mom,” said Josiah, 22.

The two stood with bougainvillea bushes at their backs, white music tents in the distance. Joseph hoisted his phone in the air and took a self-portrait of himself and his son, then immediately sent it by text to his wife in Sacramento.

The father and son have spent years talking about attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

In honor of the festival's 10th anniversary, they finally decided to make the trip from Northern California. The appeal, they said, was the mix of modern bands and classic performers.

“I think it's so cool that my dad will listen to bands I like, like Fleet Foxes,” Josiah said.

“And I like introducing him to people from my era, like Leonard Cohen,” said the elder Forgrave, 56. “He's never heard Superchunk either, so that's where we're headed right now.”

The two then ran across the field to catch the indie band's set at the Outdoor Theatre.

Reid Maxwell was accompanied by son Jude, 8.

“Oh, he goes to Burning Man every year. He goes to concerts. We do a lot of activities with him,” said Maxwell, a Los Angeles-based artist.

Jude, clad in a floppy hat, flowered pants and a tiny Led Zeppelin T-shirt, was adamant about the big draw for him at this year's festival.

“Who are you most excited about?” Maxwell asked his son.

The tyke began to sing: “Hey Jude, don't make it bad ”

“Isn't that the coolest thing?” said his father. “A couple years ago, he started to listening to The Beatles and that was, like, it for him. He loves them.”