Inside the Neon Carnival, Coachella's exclusive, star-studded after-party where money doesn't score an invite
The Neon Carnival begins Saturday night and stops at 4 a.m. Sunday morning. "I want people to come to us after Coachella, not during Coachella," Bolthouse told The Wrap. "That's a big part of the reason why we start late and we go late."
"It takes a tremendous amount of resources to make Neon Carnival happen," Bolthouse said — namely, a million-dollar budget.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
True to its name, the Neon Carnival features carnival games and rides — like a Ferris wheel and bumper cars — with a dance party.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
The party features a heavily curated set of A-list attendees that isn't influenced by money. "We curate the tables, we think about the table mix, [which is] really important to us," Bolthouse told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's not a situation where we're selling tables and everything goes to the highest bidder."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, and Selena Gomez have all attended.
Source: Business Insider
And this year, Paris Hilton and Janelle Monae made an appearance, too.
The Neon Carnival has "evolved into the Vanity Fair party of Coachella's first weekend, meaning an invite and appearance represents a social status symbol of sorts," Mikey Glazer of The Wrap wrote.
Source: The Wrap
It welcomes about 2,000 to 3,000 guests. "I can't say yes to every stranger that I don't know when I have hundreds and hundreds of emails from people that I've known for the last 20 years that I have to take care of," Bolthouse said.
Source: The Wrap
Botlhouse makes sure to never book bands or national, touring DJs so as not to compete with Coachella. He only books high-profile, nightclub DJs like A-Trak, who headlined this year.
Source: The Wrap
While people are running around seeing different bands at Coachella, the Neon Carnival brings everyone together at the end of the day, Bolthouse said: "It's a reunion of people from fashion, music and entertainment. They come together and you get to see all your friends in one space."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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