Revolve apologizes to influencers who criticized the brand's Coachella event, which some called 'Fyre Festival 2.0'
- Revolve Festival was held on April 16 and 17 in La Quinta, California, during Coachella.
- Some guests said the event had long lines and limited transportation that left some unable to enter.
After a two-year break, Revolve Festival took place on April 16 and 17 in La Quinta, California. But some influencers say the event hosted by the online retailer in conjunction with Coachella descended into chaos, with long lines and limited transportation leaving some unable to enter the festival.
Attendees shared videos on TikTok of scenes from the holding area where they were waiting for shuttles to take them to the festival grounds. Some videos showed long lines winding around metal barricades under white tents, while others captured scenes of people running up to large buses trying to get on.
On Tuesday, Revolve sent Insider a statement addressing the complaints and issuing an apology.
The statement said 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," and that, in accordance with city regulations, there was an off-site lot for guests to check-in, park, and take licensed shuttle transportation to and from the festival. The lot came with amenities including Wi-Fi, "restrooms, shade, water, medics and security," according to the statement.
"As the festival was reaching capacity late Saturday afternoon, 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," it continued. "The safety of our guests is of the utmost importance to us and we will always make that a priority."
"We sincerely apologize to all the guests who were impacted. We always strive to provide a great experience and we promise to do better," the statement concluded.
Influencers told Insider they were invited by Revolve to the event, which some likened to 2017's Fyre Festival
Averie Bishop, a law student and Dallas-based creator, told Insider there were issues with the transportation taking attendees from the parking lot to the grounds of the event and called the setup "unsafe." She never made it inside and did not return for day two, she told Insider. Another attendee in Bishop's video shared below, which had 3.2 million views on Tuesday, called the situation "Fyre Festival 2.0." (In 2017, Fyre Festival promised a VIP experience in the Bahamas and didn't deliver.)
Lars Gummer, an LA influencer, said he arrived onsite with a VIP wristband and had a relatively seamless experience getting into the event. Gummer said he arrived at 1:30 p.m. while Bishop said she arrived at 3:20 p.m.
Gummer told Insider that he was handed a water upon arrival while waiting for the bus, but he added that he wasn't sure how long that supply lasted. However, Bishop said she couldn't see any water when she arrived. And both influencers said they were unable to clearly identify any staff other than security guards.
Others shared complaints about the event on TikTok.
A TikToker named Bri called the transportation situation on Saturday an "absolute dumpster fire" in a now-deleted video that was viewed by Insider. In the same video, she said she works for Revolve as a designer.
Content creator Kristi Howard said in a TikTok video that she waited in line for five hours and wasn't able to get on a bus. The video below describing her day had 3.9 million views on Tuesday.
If you were at the Revolve Festival or tried to attend the event during weekend one of Coachella and want to talk about your experience, get in touch at raskinasi@insider.com.