I attended the infamous Revolve Festival. I expected 'Fyre Fest 2.0' but it was better than a day at Coachella

This was my first year attending Revolve Festival, an invite-only event attended by celebrities and influencers alike.

I received an invite to the exclusive event as an editor for Insider. I wasn't sure what to expect at the fashion, music, and lifestyle festival, but I was mentally preparing for the worst after last year's issues.

In 2022, influencers likened the festival to "Fyre Fest 2.0" after apparently waiting in long lines for shuttles that were meant to take them to the festival grounds.

At the time, Averie Bishop, a law student and Dallas-based creator, called the festival "absolute chaos" in a TikTok video. As Insider previously reported, the TikToker said she never even made it to the festival, even though Revolve invited her.

"I didn't even get into the festival, guys," she said in the video. "I waited in line for two hours. There was pushing, shoving, shouting, yanking people in front of the buses, people standing in between the buses while they were moving just to get on these buses and get to the Revolve Festival."

"Sorry, Revolve, but I really hope you take into consideration everyone's safety and security next year," Bishop added.

But it seemed that Revolve listened because this year's event faced none of the issues from 2022.

Instead, it was one of the highlights of my entire Coachella weekend.

After 45 minutes of not being able to secure a rideshare from where I was staying at the Margaritaville Resort in Palm Springs, California, to bring me to the festival about 40 minutes away, I committed to driving myself.

My Revolve Festival ticket came with a parking pass, so I knew I'd have somewhere to leave my car, but after seeing the line on Saturday, I braced for the worst.

And, considering how hard it seemed for influencers to get to the festival last year, I was even more panicked. Luckily, when I arrived on Sunday just before 3:30 p.m., there were barely any cars in line waiting to check in.

From there, parking was a breeze as there were plenty of attendants directing the flow of traffic.

It became apparent to me that Saturday is the more popular day for festivalgoers, as the first day of the two-day festival is typically when its celebrity guests like Suki Waterhouse and Camila Morrone show up.

Although I didn't see any stars myself on Sunday, the smaller crowd made the experience feel even more exclusive and ensured I didn't have to wait in long lines for most of the day.

This was my second year attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and both times I found myself in awe of the surrounding landscape, but the festival itself is pretty basic.

If you have a GA wristband and want to sit, your only option is the ground, and there aren't many spots intentionally set up to provide shade.

So when I arrived at the Revolve Festival, I quickly noticed the stark contrast in terms of the guest experience. There were couches and chairs set up throughout the grounds, as well as plenty of umbrellas everywhere to create shady spots for people to relax.

Both festivals take place in the desert, and the sun is no joke. But thanks to all the shade at Revolve Festival, I managed to stay pretty cool all day.

The selection of food was so much better than almost anything I've ever found on Coachella's grounds (not including the VIP dinner) and, at $0, infinitely cheaper than the $45 I spent the night before on two orders of hot dogs and fries for senior music reporter Callie Ahlgrim and me.

Raising Cane's had a food truck that served a platter of two chicken tenders, fries, and Texas toast. Each piece of the meal was fantastic — the chicken was tender, the fries were crispy, and the toast was buttery and soft.

I later tried some asada tacos, but they weren't worth the wait.

Most lines earlier in the day were short and moved quickly, but things were most crowded after the gates closed at 5 p.m., which is around when I decided to try the tacos.

I'm not living if I do not have three drinks in front of me at all times: one for hydration, one for caffeine, and one for fun.

Revolve Festival had more options than I could feasibly try in one afternoon, and they were all free.

I tried three alcoholic beverages during my time at the festival: a Buchanan's pineapple-rum cocktail; a Smirnoff blue-raspberry-lemonade slushie; and a passion-fruit spritz made with 818 Tequila, the alcohol brand founded by Kendall Jenner.

The slushie was by far my favorite, but it melted before I could fully finish it.

However, I could only take about two sips of the passion-fruit spritz before abandoning it because it wasn't really for me. Plus, I knew I was going to be leaving soon, and finishing the strong drink would've been a poor choice before driving.

I much preferred the festival's nonalcoholic options, though.

There were water bottles and sodas in coolers everywhere, but I was especially partial to the offerings from La La Land. I loved the coffee chain's drinks so much that I visited its stand twice.

During my first visit, I tried the strawberry cooler, a strawberry lemonade with a caffeinated acai base crafted exclusively for the festival. I stopped by again right before leaving for the evening to try the upside-down latte, which was basically an iced caramel macchiato.

Shay Mitchell's luggage brand Beis teamed up with Wanderlust Creamery to bring an ice-cream truck to the festival grounds.

There were three flavors available: muscat berry, honeydew lime, and creamsicle, which is the one I tried (and loved).

Guests could also opt to turn their dessert into a float by adding a guava-flavored Onda tequila seltzer. Another food truck was serving beignets, which I also enjoyed.

There were no waits for either of the dessert trucks, even though I tried them hours apart.

At last year's Coachella, Callie said something to me that I have repeated several times in the months since: "There's nothing sexier than being at the barricade."

Getting to the barricade was an incredibly easy feat at Revolve Festival, easier than it's been at any other festival or concert I've ever attended. At any point throughout the day, I was able to walk right up to the barricade to get a great view of the performers because the crowd was always small and loose.

However, since it's such a small festival, there is only one stage and the music felt secondary to the rest of the experience.

But I still had a great time watching rapper Coi Leray perform her hit song "Players" from mere feet away.

While I was at Revolve Festival on Sunday, Callie was at Coachella trying to get onto the Ferris wheel.

However, she realized it wasn't worth it because of the long line and additional ticket you needed to buy in order to ride it.

But nearby at Revolve Festival, I was able to walk right onto another carnival ride, free of charge. The ride gave me a great view of the entire grounds, and since the festival is so compact, I was still able to enjoy the live music from my swinging chair.

In all honesty, Hailey Bieber slayed with this claw machine. The attraction had one of the longest lines at the festival, but it was well worth the wait.

Everyone who stepped up to the crane game was allowed to play until they won one of the prizes inside, which were all products from Bieber's skin-care line, Rhode.

I won exactly what I was hoping to get: the peptide lip treatment, which Insider's Julia Guerra previously described as "a hydrating, plumping solution that can be applied day or night."

This wasn't the only brand giving out freebies at the festival.

Supergoop had sunscreen samples and butterfly clips for guests, Quay was giving out sunglasses, Havaianas gave away flip flops, and 8 Other Reasons gifted guests bracelets and phone charms.

La Croix and grocery-store chain Erewhon also had booths with free tote bags, snacks, drinks, and swag.

I had several positive encounters with other guests and workers.

At one point, I was in line for Raising Cane's and I noticed the guy in front of me drinking something from La La Land. I asked him where he got it, and he was quick to point me in the right direction and also give me some advice on how to get an additional freebie.

While in another line, another man complimented me on my La Croix tote bag, which I happily informed him was from the festival itself. He assured me he was going to head over to that station immediately after getting his drink so he could get one of the bags, too.

And, at my final La La Land stop, I told the barista working the counter that my name was Courteney for my cup, and she excitedly told me that she's also a Courtney.

We bonded for a moment, until another barista from earlier also recognized me and got excited that I came back for another beverage. She gave me a branded hat before sending me on my way with my latte.

As a music editor, I obviously love music festivals.

Sure, they're typically exhausting, expensive, and a bit gross (the bathroom situation is never ideal), but I'm convinced that in order for me, personally, to be a happy person, I need to experience live music at least semi-regularly.

So, admittedly, I was a little bummed when I realized I was going to be missing Latto, Kali Uchis, Dominic Fike, and Björk at Coachella to spend the day at Revolve Festival instead. (I ultimately chose to go Sunday, because I was absolutely not going to risk missing Charli XCX, boygenius, and BLACKPINK on Saturday.)

But ultimately Sunday's lineup had nothing on the Revolve Festival.

Even though this was the final day of the weekend, I left the festival feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready for headliner Frank Ocean's set (which, as I now know, was the actual disappointment of the day).

The festival was clean, organized, and loaded with good eats and fun prizes. I was still able to hear live music, but in a setting that was built specifically for enjoying every moment without wearing myself out.

Haters will say it's not really a music festival, but it's definitely one of the VIP experiences that amplifies the Coachella weekend experience.

Anyone who scores an invite is lucky to go, even if it does mean missing a day at the more famous music festival down the street.