Revolve afterparty sparks confusion with ‘over 1m followers’ requirement at Stagecoach festival

Festival season is well underway. While the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has packed away its iconic ferris wheel for another year, country music lovers hit the desert over the weekend for the 2024 Stagecoach Music Festival.

It’s no secret that music festivals have become populated by influencers and brands. Oftentimes, many fashion companies partner with celebrities to exclusively wear their designs or attend invite-only parties. This year, online retailer Revolve co-hosted an afterparty with streetwear brand Pizzaslime at Stagecoach in Indio, California. However, a supposed minimum followers requirement that was displayed outside the venue has sparked widespread confusion among influencers and internet users alike.

“I am leaving the afterparty because of this sign,” said TikTok star Rhegan Coursey in a video with nearly 20 million views. The influencer then revealed a sign displayed outside the venue, which read, “Over 1 million+ followers enter here”, and an arrow pointing to the left.

Another sign was displayed directly next to it, which read, “Under 1 million followers enter here”, and an arrow pointing to the other side. The text “Pizzaslime” and “Revolve” were also written on the signs, showing viewers that the afterparty was co-hosted by the two brands.

“That’s so weird to me. Like, what?” Rhegan said as she filmed herself leaving the festival grounds. “I get exclusivity and s*** but, like, we’re not celebs. [We’re] normal a** people, I don’t know. That was really weird to me. I’m leaving.”

As the influencer’s video went viral on TikTok, many people in the comments section were outraged that the afterparty appeared to be split into two sections, based on the number of followers each guest had.

“That’s icky,” said influencer Elyssa Joy, while fellow TikTok star Abbie Herbert – who has more than 15m followers – commented: “This can’t be real.”

“Black Mirror vibes,” another user wrote.

“You’re a real one,” said someone else. “Those signs are insane!! I remember a lot of influencers would say this happens but it’s so wild seeing it like why is this an actual thing.”

While many people believed the signs were an example of influencer culture taking over music festivals, others took the opportunity to point out that Pizzaslime is a satirical brand that often pokes fun at pop culture.

“Yo it was Pizzaslime it was a joke nooo,” one user commented, while someone else said: “It’s a meme account. I think the signs were meant to be jokes lol.”

The official TikTok account for Pizzaslime, which describes itself on its website as “a creative project by two idiot savants who help you fulfill your innate need to disappoint your parents”, later left a comment under Rheagan’s video clarifying the afterparty signs.

“Both lines led to the same place and same experience,” the brand wrote in a since-deleted comment, according to a Revolve spokesperson. “FYI our signs are always meant for a lol. We made signs that literally said PeePee PooPoo. SAD we missed you though!”

The influencer then shared her update after leaving the Revolve x Pizzaslime afterparty. Rheagan explained in a separate video, which was posted the next morning, that she left the party while her friends stayed behind. She said that her friends later recounted the events that occurred at the venue.

While Rheagan acknowledged that the signs were intended as “satire”, she claimed that some influencers are nevertheless treated differently at events based on their social media following. “It might be a joke for Pizzaslime, but definitely wasn’t for the other brands,” Rheagan said.

Revolve declined to issue further comment to The Independent at this time. The Independent has contacted Rhegan Coursey for comment.

This isn’t the first time that Revolve has held influencer events at a popular music festival. In 2022, the online fashion retailer held its annual Revolve Festival during the first weekend of Coachella. However, the event came with major hiccups, such as transportation issues and lack of accommodations, as many influencers took to TikTok to document the fiasco.

Multiple videos showed crowds of people waiting in the desert sun and fighting to get on shuttle buses to the invite-only influencer festival. Others claimed that bottled water was in short supply, while some influencers never even made it to the Revolve Festival.

Revolve later said in a statement that it “worked closely with all appropriate city and safety authorities to ensure a safe and secure path for guests to access the two-day invitation-only event”.

“The safety of our guests is of the utmost importance to us and we will always make that a priority,” the company added. “We sincerely apologise to all the guests who were impacted. We always strive to provide a great experience and we promise to do better.”

Meanwhile, fellow social media stars Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield recently claimed that some of their industry peers pretend to attend Coachella. During an episode of their podcast Cancelled with Tana Mongeau, the pair revealed that some influencers “take photos” of themselves dressed up in the California desert without actually attending the festival.

“I remember that people drive down to Palm Springs and they just take photos and videos, and s*** like they’re going to Coachella,” Mongeau said. “And they just like pretend they’re going, for maximum clout possible. And it’s always just been like a funny joke.”