Revolve Responds To Influencers Comparing Their Invite-Only Event At This Year’s Coachella To Fyre Festival
Coachella happened this past weekend, and based on the footage I’ve seen, I’d rather spend the weekend doing my taxes (which I did). Hanging out in the hot desert with hordes of boring narcissists glued to their phones? Plus you have to use port-a-potties? No thank you please! And, as NBC News reports, there was the drama at Revolve Festival…
Revolve is a clothing brand that has been doing VIP Coachella events since 2015. It’s an “elite” invite-only party for influencers, and this year it offered “prime photo opportunities,” sponsored “gifting suites,” free drinks made with Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand (she was there, and so was Kim Kardashian), and performances by Post Malone, Jack Harlow, and Willow Smith.
Technically, Revolve Festival is separate from Coachella, and this year’s event took place at the Merv Griffin Estate in La Quinta, which is about 5 minutes from the festival grounds. The issue is, the bulk of the invitees aren’t given an actual address for the event. People on TikTok say they’re not even allowed to Uber or drive there. The only way to get to the festival is by showing up at an empty parking lot and waiting for the official shuttles to take them to the event.
This brings us to Day 1 of Revolve, where social media users say shit hit the fan. Attendees say that the festival’s transportation was disorganized and unable to handle the large crowds waiting for rides. Some say they waited for hours in the hot sun without food or water. Many compared the fuckery to Fyre Festival, via NBC News:
“Influencers get a bad reputation for acting entitled. However, influencer status aside, many people were simply outside waiting in the heat for two or three hours without any water,” said creator Averie Bishop, who said she was invited but ended up not attending after hours of waiting for the festival-provided shuttle.
“It was a difficult and unsafe situation that could have been easily avoided.”
When at least three buses drove past people waiting in the general admission pool to pick up VIP invitees, “people from different lines began jumping gates, hopping into the road in front of buses and shoving each other out of the way to get on one of the buses.”“My friend and I decided to simply bail as the conditions worsened,” Bishop continued. “A girl was close to passing out and a security guard rushed to find water.”
Leaving the festival was also chaotic. An influencer named Bunny Barbie said she had a VIP wristband but still had to wait two hours in line before boarding the bus back. She said that people were rushing the bus, and she and her friends were “almost trampled.”
Here are some videos of the kids ripping on Revolve Fest:
@sarahfarrugiaa The real tea #coachella
@amberread92 it’s giving fyre fest #fyp
@hannahkosh
@madisoncrowleyphoto @Revolve x FYRE Fest 🎡 #horrible #revolve #coachella #revolvefest #fyrefest #sos
After dodging the complaints for the last couple of days, one of Revolve’s reps finally issued a statement to E! News:
“In anticipation of the high level of interest in attending REVOLVE Festival this year, REVOLVE worked closely with all appropriate city and safety authorities to ensure a safe and secure path for guests to access the 2-day invitation-only event,” a representative exclusively tells E! News. “With an event of this magnitude, city regulations mandate an off-site location for guest check-in and parking, as well as licensed shuttle transportation to and from the venue. The off-site lot was set up with guest parking, as well as rideshare drop-off and pickup access with added WIFI for car booking, restrooms, shade, water, medics and security.”
FYI, the “guest parking” and “rideshare” claims directly contradict what the kids are saying on social media. One TikTokker said that there was no WiFi at the empty parking lot and zero Ubers available. The statement continues:
“As the festival was reaching capacity late Saturday afternoon,” the statement continues, “shuttle access to the venue was limited in order to remain in compliance with safety requirements causing longer wait times for entry and resulting in some guests not being able to attend the festival. The safety of our guests is of the utmost importance to us and we will always make that a priority.”
Ultimately, Revolve plans to improve come its next event. “We sincerely apologize to all the guests who were impacted,” the representative adds. “We always strive to provide a great experience and we promise to do better.”
OK, sure. But what about our dear Bunny Barbie almost getting trampled? You’d think after the Fyre Festival and the actual tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert, these events would prioritize safety. Except… wait a second… what do Fyre Fest, Astroworld, and Revolve Festival have in common? Kendall Nicole Jenner was either in attendance or helped promote them! Bitch, next time bring a peace Pepsi to help calm the chaos!
Pics: TikTok