While music fans were at Coachella in Indio over the weekend, Insta influencers and TikTokers were over at Revolve Festival nearby. Well, at least they were attempting to attend Revolve Festival — for many, it proved easier said than done.
The ultra exclusive festival, held on Saturday and Sunday, is a hot ticket for the influencer crowd. The event is supposed to be filled with Instagrammable activations and performances by big-name stars. However, over the weekend, invitees took to social media to expose some of the, uh, poor planning of Revolve Festival and some of the hiccups that they were experiencing.
One TikToker, Averie Bishop, made a video of her experience trying to just get into the event — which she wasn’t able to do despite being invited. She said you could only access the event by the buses provided by Revolve, which she claimed were lacking in enough room to actually transport those asked to attend. She described dangerous conditions of people being stuck outside in the heat, gathering around moving buses, and a general lack of organization. After a couple hours of waiting, she said she gave up, as did some others.
@averiebishop I hope you made it to the festival @kate bartlett !! #revolvefestival @revolve ♬ original sound - Aves
Journalist Joseph Kapsch tweeted a thread of what he’d heard about the popular festival on Saturday, writing, “Influencers stranded in the dirt with no water, under the hot sun for HOURS, waiting for buses that aren't coming to bring them to actual festival. ‘Alleged fights, screaming, everyone is dizzy.’” He also likened the event to Fyre Festival, something the commenters on Bishop’s TikTok did as well.
BREAKING @LAMag #Coachella Dispatch: Sources on the ground telling us there is apparently drama going down at Revolve Festival, that "sinks to level of Fryre Festival." Influencers stranded in the dirt with no water, under the hot sun for HOURS, waiting for buses that aren't...— Joseph Kapsch (@Joseph Kapsch) 1650156934
TikToker Hannah Kosh made a video of her own to call out these tweets, saying it was “all of that and more” adding that she saw people literally passing out while waiting for the buses. Fellow influencer Maddie White, who seemed to actually make it into Revolve Festival, commented on Kosh’s video, writing, “This was black mirror IRL I am traumatized.”
@queenofgettingbanned After flying across the country&standing in line for 5 hours I’m out a couple thousand $$ but I got this cool shirt to cover me up so I could charge my phone&eat in a resturant nearby😍
♬ original sound - Kristi Howard
Yet another TikToker, Kristi Howard, shared a video of her experience, saying she spent a ton of money to get out to California to attend Revolve Festival and never actually made it in, after waiting for buses that never came. She said she then had to spend more money on an Uber to get back to civilization.
The goal of Revolve Festival, according to Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer of Revolve Group, is to bring fashionable people together for some fun. “The essence of Revolve Festival this year remains the same: It’s a celebration of life and living it to its fullest where we always marry the things we are most known for — fashion, lifestyle, music and, most importantly, fun,” Gerona told WWD in March. Returning after a COVID-related break, the festival took place in La Quinta, CA, for the first weekend of Coachella only. And while some influencers had their issues with the event, plenty of people made it inside without a hitch and had a good time, judging by the sheer number of photos shared on Instagram with the festival hashtag.
Photo via Getty/ Vivien Killilea