Coachella;
The ‘Influencer Olympics’
What began as a celebration centring on music and the arts, Coachella in recent years has become what critics are referring to as the ‘Influencer Olympics’.
Set in the desert of Indio, California, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival sees hundreds of thousands of attendants each year; growing to be one of the most globally famous festivals.
In 2023 Coachella is a far cry from its modest beginning, with 250,000 attending this year. Sure, there are people who attend for the music, but Coachella is renowned for brands and influencers capitalising off of it.
Since the rise of social media ‘influencers’ in the early 2010s, they have multiplied in their millions to become almost inescapable online. Coachella has become a prestigious event for influencers to attend in order to build their brand, the festival is essentially a gold badge on their fame-seeking sash.
The milestone that Coachella is in an influencer’s career is what has driven it to be the overly commercial, squeaky-clean celebrity-fest that it is.
The ‘Influencer Olympics’ as dubbed by fashion and culture critics, has taken the fun out of festivals… there has been a huge shift in focus from what it should be; music, to now influencer’s outfits.
Here are some Coachella rules that would ensure UK festivalgoers to never attend;
No drinking in the venue except in designated drinking areas
No smoking in the venue except for designated smoking areas
There is a strict curfew; Friday 1 a.m and Saturday 12 a.m. Any time running over 5 minutes late can be charged $1,000 per minute by the City of Indio
Drugs and booze aside, British culture approaches festivals with a respectable casualness. The unpredicted weather possibly plays a part in the understated outfits or most likely because they are just there to embrace the music and experience.
Coachella was founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999 and took place just 3 months after the disastrous Woodstock 99’ where violence, riots, sexual assaults and fires broke out leaving over 5000 people to be treated in medical tents. Coachella aimed to deliver the peace, love, and unity that Woodstock failed to.
The first Coachella faced around $1 million in loss and Tollet looks back at it as a ‘bust’ which led it not to return the following year, however, this ‘bust’ turned into an empire. In 2017 Coachella became the first ever festival to break the $100 million mark, generating a not-so-humble $114 million.
UK Festivals
For some Coachella is an all-expenses-paid-for experience often by clothing brands who pay these influencers to wear and promote clothing which is probably why it has become more of a runway in recent years than a festival. Coachella content generates a high engagement rate, this year there was a 56% increase in engagement, with 14 million actions.
Among the most famous festivals is the UK’s very own Glastonbury, which like Coachella can have a star-studded attendance.
Take Kate Moss for example, she is the indie-sleaze poster child for British festivals, in 2005 she unintentionally propelled Hunter wellies from being practical to the height of fashion overnight.
2010’s icons Alexa Chung and Lily Allen also embodied this effortless festival chic look, far removed from Coachella’s glamour contest.
Unintentional influence is a natural part of celebrity culture but Coachella’s toxic emphasis on influencer marketing needs to come to an end. UK festivals tend to attract a crowd that cares less about taking ring-lit pictures for Instagram and more about how many blue punishers they can smuggle through in a tampon wrapper. Imagine Glastonbury with a ‘designated drinking area’, there would be Woodstock-level riots!
1999; Coachella’s first lineup