Coachella 2023: 40+ Steal-Worthy Event Ideas From the Creativity-Packed Music Festival

Following the announcement of Bad Bunny as the first Latin artist to headline Coachella, Adidas teamed up with the Puerto Rican rapper on the Adidas Campus Experience, an on-site, cube-shaped pop-up that celebrated the pair’s latest sneaker release. Produced by Corso Marketing Group and fabricated by Whalefilm, the space’s eye-catching exterior boasted 50,000 live florals in 60 different varietals. Elevation Vertical Gardens handled the exterior vertical garden systems and Eric Quintana handled the planting element.

On one side, Bad Bunny’s signature logo made from steel and pine formed a larger-than-life archway entrance. On the other side of the cube was the Adidas logo, which marked a shoppable experience.

Inside, a zen garden-inspired space was blanketed in wood tones and Spanish moss. In a fun touch, a floral chandelier included hanging sneakers.

BDG—the company behind digital brands like Bustle, NYLON, Elite Daily, and The Zoe Report—hosted the buzzy NYLON House, presented by Samsung Galaxy, in a private Indio estate on April 14. The event was centered around a “YOUniverse” theme inspired by Gen Z and millennial generations that, as the brand said, “transgress all boundaries and appreciate that everything is on a spectrum.”

NYLON House, which was designed and produced by Event Eleven, greeted guests via an interactive tunnel-slash-art installation, designed in collaboration with Media Pollution, that showcased the night-ography features of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. As guests walked through the tunnel, they saw video footage of themselves shot using the cutting-edge phone camera.

The YOUniverse theme continued throughout the space in what the team described as an “extraterrestrial planet of pop culture.” The invite-only, after-hours gathering featured a headlining set from Alessa, sponsored by PATRÓN El Alto, as well as a set with Carlita and Diplo. In addition to Event Eleven, vendors included lighting, audio, and video from Pro Systems; staging from Accurate Staging; scenic from LAB Creative, 3 Line, and Whalefilm; rentals from Town and Country; catering from The Food Matters and Chain; and PR from PR Dept.

In addition to Samsung Galaxy, NYLON House sponsors included Toyota, Cheetos, Mugler, Got2b, and SHEGLAM. A standout space was the funky Cheeto-verse: part art installation, part soundscape, and part tasting room—complete with lanterns, Cheeto-tentacles, noise-canceling headphones playing the "Beyond Hot Anthem" by rapper MIMS, and samplings of the new Cheetos flavor Flamin’ Hot Tangy Chili Fusion.

Another colorful highlight came from SHEGLAM, with its dedicated beauty bar that spotlighted the brand’s new Sparkle Liquid Highlighter, and offered visitors support from personal beauty consultants.

In its first-ever Coachella activation, Marvel Studios invited travelers to Knowhere, a nod to the home base of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The immersive, open-to-the-public space, set off to the side of the road that attendees take to the festival, featured fun photo ops, musical programming, and exclusive giveaways centered around Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which hits theaters on May 5.

Outside, life-size recreations of the film’s colorful spacesuits greeted guests.

Inside were in-world design elements and plenty of Easter eggs, plus free branded festival gear and a vintage-style photo booth. The activation was conceptualized and produced by creative agency IHEARTCOMIX. In addition to the physical activation, folks driving out to the desert could tune in to K-GOTG Radio, a Guardians-themed station featuring music from all three films, as well as commentary from comedian Greg Barris.

Italian apertivo brand Aperol made its first-ever Coachella appearance with the Aperol Spritz Piazza, a gathering place inspired by, well, Italian piazzas. The cheery, photo-friendly space welcomed guests via a branded wall of greenery complete with vibrant flowers and oranges.

The activation included an Aperol-branded tram designed to resemble a modern Italian city streetcar, plus a kiosk where guests could play digital trivia games or create a custom AR experience. There was also an oversized, interactive video dome from Classic Photo Booths that had a slow-motion camera, plus a sunbeam installation made from a glowing orange mirror and neon LED lighting.

Swell handled the design, production, and execution for the space, which was intended to be a modern and joyful take on an Italian town piazza. Tractor Vision handled fabrication.

American Express once again hosted an on-site activation on Coachella grounds. This year’s Y2K-inspired space, produced by Momentum Worldwide, was centered around Gen Z’s love for “newstalgic” experiences. The area came complete with a vintage camera emporium and photo studio. In a partnership with eco-friendly camera company Paper Shoot, festivalgoers could rent or purchase a vintage camera at the AmEx Experience. Card members could also print their photos on limited-edition Coachella totes.

The Y2K theme also inspired a fun area featuring old-school "away" messages.

The experience also served as the official BLACKPINK merch tent. American Express card members had their own fast lane to gain quick access to the merch, and could also enjoy a complimentary gift when they made a purchase with their AmEx card.

Phone accessories company CASETiFY hosted its "Disco Euphoria" experience on festival grounds. The vibrant space included a selfie dome, charging station, and exclusive Coachella x CASETiFY products. The activation was designed and produced by Revolution Marketing.

In addition to NYLON House, BDG also hosted ZOEasis—The Zoe Report and Rachel Zoe’s midday gathering—that returned for its seventh year on April 15. The event also tied into the brand’s overarching YOUniverse theme, with a variety of programmed moments centered around individuality, style, beauty, and wellness. Various sponsor moments included a Sephora fragrance station, where guests matched their auras to coordinating scents; a brow-styling station from European Wax Center; and a shoppable area from Rachel Zoe’s Cotton Closet.

The flower-filled event was designed and produced by Event Eleven with many of the same vendors as NYLON House, including Pro Systems, Accurate Staging, LAB Creative, 3 Line, Whalefilm, Town and Country, The Food Matters, Chain, and PR Dept.

In addition to being the official tequila of REVOLVE Festival, 818 Tequila hosted the 818 Outpost on April 14. The public-facing, gas station-inspired pop-up drew more than 2,000 consumers throughout the day, who took home free festival essentials from brands like Kylie Cosmetics, Revolve, Tower 28, Emi Jay, Vacation, Lemme, Pressed and Path, 8 Others Reasons, and Liquid IV. An 818 merch capsule with Cherry LA was also on-site.

The activation also featured photo ops with 818 Tequila's label and other desert-inspired elements. Revolution Marketing and 818's creative team collaborated on the project.

Vegan haircare brand Love Beauty and Planet brought a series of deluxe “misting tents” and earth-friendly festival essentials to select luxury hotels throughout weekend one. In keeping with LBP’s philosophy of “a little love for you, a little love for the planet,” the experience was designed to help guests beat the heat—while also highlighting the brand’s natural ingredients.

Held at three popular hotels—Margaritaville Resort, The Saguaro Palm Springs, and Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa—the LBP beauty experience was brought to life by creative agency MKG in partnership with Edelman. Figs & Flowers handled florals.

MKG designed lush outdoor tents at each hotel, where influencers and guests could cool off in refreshing mists infused with one of LBP’s three core scents: rose, coconut, and mandarin. Using faux flowers and colorful LBP branding, the MKG team dressed each tent to match its corresponding scent, while also setting up beauty stations with mirrors and hair accessories.

MKG also ensured that each of the influencers staying at the hotels had the products they needed to get through the weekend, organizing hotel-room drop offs of gift bags packed with earth-friendly items like LBP products, custom embroidered bathrobes, makeup kits, reusable water bottles, and more. The MKG team also organized dedicated party buses, packed with flowers, to shuttle the guests to and from the Coachella festival.

Lucky Brand hosted its annual one-day pop-up at the Laguna Seca Estate on April 15. The space, which was produced by experiential agency ENTER, featured interactive activations including a dressing suite, an artist lounge, a beauty station from Upkeep featuring hydra facials and red light therapy, and more from partners like Uncle Fluffy and La Croix. The day ended with a live performance by GAYLE.

In addition to the denim-clad entrance area, denim was also used for the eye-catching step-and-repeat.

On April 15, Ketel One Botanical invited festivalgoers to cheers the beginning of what it calls "spritz season" at the brand's private Spritz Oasis party. Throughout the flower-filled daytime gathering, guests were invited to try a variety of cocktails based on the brand's three varietals—peach and orange Blossom, grapefruit and rose, and cucumber and mint—which also dictated the event design and color scheme. NVE Experience Agency handled production.

CÎROC celebrated the launch of the latest limited-edition flavor, CÎROC Honey Melon, at Soho Desert House—a private event for Soho House members and guests—in Palm Springs on April 15. Throughout the day, guests visited the "Fresh Serves Club," which aimed to reimagine the country club experience for a new generation. Produced by NVE Experience Agency, the space featured a lineup of guest DJs, custom CÎROC Honey Melon cocktails, a branded pro shop where guests could customize embroidered merch, and a pickleball court.

This year, Neutrogena made its debut as the official skin and suncare sponsor at Coachella. The brand installed sunscreen dispensers throughout the festival grounds, distributing more than 1,700 fluid ounces of sunscreen in the first weekend to provide festivalgoers with convenient access to sun protection. It also teamed up with experiential agency Jack Morton Worldwide to create a memorable on-site activation—a sensory, science-first experience that highlighted the Neutrogena brand’s scientific formulations.

The activation had three zones: the Dynamic Barrier (to experience your skin’s first line of defense against internal and external aggressors), Cellular Activity level (to experience the electrical currents and natural energy of your skin), and Inner Core (to boost your skin’s vitals with Neutrogena’s product suite). Every detail, product placement, and brand message was crafted to show ways in which Neutrogena’s products protect against Coachella’s desert environment.

The activation also highlighted Neutrogena’s collaboration with Spotify to create a festival preparation playlist featuring Neutrogena global brand ambassadors Chloe and Halle Bailey.

The 2023 Revolve Festival, a partnership with The h.wood Group, took place April 15-16. It featured an ultra-exclusive guest list—and a number of memorable brand activations, including one from official sponsor Saint James Tea (pictured). The new, sustainably packaged organic line of ready-to-drink teas played host to a garden-inspired space that let guests cool off, recharge, relax, and hydrate while interacting with influencers and sampling the different types of tea.

Another eye-catching activation at Revolve Festival came from Shay Mitchell's travel accessories brand BÉIS. In honor of its new Sherbert Collection, the brand took an approach inspired by sweet treats: It teamed up with Wanderlust Creamery to serve limited-edition ice cream out of a colorful on-site ice cream truck. In a fun touch, products from the Sherbert Collection were displayed on the side of the truck. The activation was produced by Food Truck Promotions.

Also during Revolve Festival, Buchanan’s Pineapple served cocktails like the Piña y Coco out of fresh fruit carts, with green shipping crates used as eye-catching shelving to hold fresh pineapples. NVE Experience Agency produced the pop-up.

Multidisciplinary creative studio STURDY. hosted its first-ever Coachella event from April 14-16. Dubbed "STURDY. Oasis Hydrated by Liquid I.V.," the event was a three-day gathering featuring custom art installations and live performances. Each day had different programming: Day one, called Que Calor, featured sets from top Latin DJs celebrating Bad Bunny’s monumental moment as the first Latin artist to headline Coachella. On day two, Afro House was an all-night dance party with DJs spinning Afrobeats, celebrating the impact African artists have on arts and culture. And on the third day, the space hosted an exclusive brunch.

One highlight of the event space? The Oasis Beacon (pictured), a hot air balloon installation featuring projection mapping and colorful lighting designs.

The STURDY. Oasis, which was held at The Packhouse at Aziz Farms, also hosted tastings of PATRÓN Tequila’s newest product, PATRÓN EL ALTO. Vendors involved in the event included Black Cat Creative, MS Event Production, Power Trip, Fantasy Balloons, PRG, and AGENC.

Flying Embers celebrated the launch of its new Birds of Paradise hard kombucha with "The Racquet Club," an inaugural pickleball event in partnership with The Kitchen. Guests enjoyed a day of tournament-style pickleball games, along with a live DJ set, surprise giveaways and swag, pool games, refreshments, and more. The event was produced by ENTER. Pickleball equipment was supplied by Joola, water by Arrowhead, and lounge furniture by LoveSac; guests attending the tournament could also select sunglasses and boots from The Trading Post's fashion build-out featuring Frye and Vince Camuto.

On April 13, creative production studio London Alley helped Playboy celebrate its 70th anniversary—while kicking off festival weekend—with an event that took inspiration from the brand's 1970s variety show. The event featured a live DJ set by DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak), along with surprise performances, various activations, giveaways, food from Verse LA, and more. In a fun photo moment, historic Playboy covers formed a collage over the brand's iconic rabbit logo.

Highly anticipated late-night party Neon Carnival returned to the Desert International Horse Park for its 12th year on April 15. The Levi’s Brand-sponsored event featured its signature neon Ferris wheel, along with carnival-style games and sets from DJs Ruckus, Kayper, and Mel Debarge. The exclusive party—which drew attendees like Leonardo Di Caprio, Camila Cabello, Lil Nas X, and Janelle Monae—was created by nightlife mastermind Brent Bolthouse and produced by Best Events.

For the seventh year in a row, Tequila Don Julio, co-headlining sponsor of Neon Carnival, transported guests to Mexico with its Tierra de Don Julio footprint lit up in neon lights. Craft cocktails were served from an airstream speakeasy, along with a dedicated tasting bar featuring Tequila Don Julio’s newest luxury offering, Tequila Don Julio Rosado. NVE Experience Agency produced the space.

NVE Experience Agency also produced Smirnoff’s activation at Neon Carnival, a colorful, neon-lined space that celebrated the brand's Smirnoff ICE products.

Interscope returned for its annual Coachella celebration with a private event in Palm Springs on April 15. Guests enjoyed lunch provided by Turkey and the Wolf, drinks from PATRÓN EL ALTO Tequila and vitaminwater, and giveaways from Pringles and American Express.

Zenyara, a 70-acre estate located in the heart of Coachella Valley, hosted a number of VIP events throughout weekend one of the festival—and they were all produced by Corso Marketing Group. The experience kicked off with TAO Desert Nights presented by cannabis brand Jeeter, with a DJ set by Ariel Vromen followed by a headlining performance from TALE OF US that featured a 500-drone light show over the estate. Other wow-worthy moments? A custom, Ancient Egypt-inspired activation from Jeeter, which also offered boat tours across the estate’s lagoon. Other on-site activations included a glam bar and photo booth from Urban Outfitters and FujiFilm, and a performance from the Red Bull Air Force team—who skydived into the party and skimmed across the water to land on the estate’s beach.

The following day, CMG and Framework teamed up to present Desert Dreams, presented by Tequila Don Julio, Heineken Silver, and Red Bull and featuring Rufus Du Sol and a DJ set from Cassion. And on the final day, CMG and Framework presented a headlining performance KEINEMUSIK with guest DJ sets by &Me, Rampa, Adam Port, Uncle Waffles, and Benji B.

As part of the events at Zenyara, evian hosted its Club Hydration, a lounge-like space that aimed to transport guests to evian’s origins in the French Alps. The pop-up bar highlighted the natural minerals found in Alpine glacier rocks, and served signature cocktails using evian sparkling carbonated water. The space was created in collaboration with HUNTER PR and creative agency All Valley Yacht Club.

Hyatt hotel Dream Hollywood teamed up with a variety of brands to create an ultra-luxe accommodation experience on festival grounds. Desert Dream, which will also run next weekend, featured accommodations from June that included memory foam mattresses, temperature control, power outlets, and more—all housed inside eco-friendly, solar-powered vessels created by SpaceX and Tesla engineers. Dream Hollywood provided luxury hospitality services to the 24 separate accommodation spaces, including golf cart bellhops for transport around the campgrounds. Guests also had the option to request a Tesla X house car for short local trips and on-site helicopter landing. In addition to the premium accommodations, Desert Dream also featured programming and amenities from a variety of wellness, beauty, retail, food, and beverage, including beauty stations, meditation moments, and more.