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It’s going down and TikTokers are yelling timber. Coachella’s rogue, unofficial little sister, the Revolve Festival, has been declared “Fyre Fest 2.0″, an unflattering nod to the infamous music festival that burned out in a blaze of drama in 2017.
Revolve attendees have flamed the fashion and music festival held over the past weekend, fuming about having to wait in line for hours in the Californian desert heat without water, just to be shuttled to the exclusive US$2000-a-head ($2700) event, with some claiming they didn’t even make it through the gates.
Rapper Iann Dior performed at the Revolve Festival at Merv Griffin Estate.Credit:Vivien Killilea
What exactly is Revolve Festival?
It’s an annual invite-only music, arts and shopping event, hosted by online retailer Revolve and held alongside the first weekend of Coachella. Attended by influencers, the festival is known for its social media displays, A-list musical acts and “free” clothes as part of the ticket price.
Ok, so what actually happened?
Picture a desert. Then imagine being stranded there for hours. Hosted at the Moroccan-themed Merv Griffin Estate in La Quinta, California, the only way to get to Revolve Festival was to wait for shuttle buses in a parking lot, more than two kilometres from the event.
“The logistics of getting to the festival were dangerous,” TikToker Averie Bishop said in a video. “There was pushing, shoving, shouting, yanking people in front of the buses, people standing in between the buses while they were moving.”
Photographer Madison Crowley, who attended as a guest, said other transport options were not feasible on the day. “You couldn’t Uber, there was barely any service...” she said. “Even if you got the address ... they were not allowing anyone in, no extra Ubers, no walkers, you had to be on the shuttle to enter the festival grounds,” she said.
So, what’s the big deal?
The temperature reached 34 degrees in La Quinta over the two days, and attendees claimed they waited in the heat for hours without water.
They also criticised the security at the event, saying security checks were not adequate and that security personnel weren’t stopping people from cutting through lines.