THE JUDGE SAID NO CLUBS AND COACHELLA AIN'T A CLUB - LINDSAY LOHAN

Lindsay Lohan is telling friends she doesn't feel she did anything wrong by going to Coachella this weekend -- because the judge in her probation case told her to avoid clubs ... and Coachella doesn't qualify.

Our sources tell us, Lindsay feels she didn't thumb her nose at Judge Stephanie Sautner, because Coachella is really just a gigantic concert and she was just there for the music.

We're told Lindsay went to a few different events during the weekend and was very conscious lots of people were whispering about her -- specifically, that she was in the danger zone by even showing up.  The way she feels ... she's gone to Coachella for the last 4 or 5 years so she didn't think this year was a big deal.

Lindsay insists she didn't have a drop of alcohol during the weekend -- she feels she she can control herself, even in a situation filled with temptation.

Lindsay is currently under investigation for allegedly assaulting a woman at a hotel bar, but Lindsay claims she wasn't even out that night.