Are Influencers Tainting the Music Festival Experience?

If you’re a social media user, there is no doubt that your feed hasn’t been flooded by Coachella 2023 content from your favorite influencers. Sure, we all love to see what outfits and events influencers attend at music festivals, but are their experiences attainable for the everyday person?

Coachella is arguably one of the biggest music festivals influencers attend and has become a large commercial opportunity for brands and influencers. Many influencers are offered an all expense paid trip to Coachella in exchange for promoting a brand, where brands pay anywhere from $1,000-$10,000 for each influencer.

The sponsored content that influencers film at Coachella is then rolled out to millions of social media users, drawing attention to both the influencer and brand. Brands not only pay for many influencers travel expenses, but they also pay for pre-festival activities and parties.

Brands typically have a house for multiple influencers to stay at if they are invited on the trip. The houses, elaborately decorated to fit a theme, are filled with complementary food and festival wristbands.

One brand in particular, Guess, had an especially extravagant Coachella experience for select influencers. Social media stars Alex Earle and David Dobrik were flown to the Guess house in a private jet. The lavish treatment continued at the Guess house as influencers were showered with spa days, makeovers, parties, and dinners.

With influencers having such extravagant experiences with million dollar brands, it’s difficult to distinguish over the top Coachella trips from reality. While most influencers have posted content from their brand trips on TikTok, other social media users have been quick to remind millions what the average festival experience is like. Viral Tiktoks of poor weather conditions, crowded campsites, long lines, and other inconveniences have proven Coachella isn’t as glamorous as many influencers make it seem.