COACHELLA VALLEY, CALIF.—There will be no shortage of desirable event invites during the buzzy first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. But arguably the most coveted wristband of all? Neon Carnival, the 10,000-attendee late-night dance party, which this year is taking place April 13 at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif.
This year's carnival—which is not officially associated with Coachella—will feature sets from Grammy winner DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak), DJ and Vanderpump Rules star James Kennedy, and TikTok superstar DJ Hunny Bee . The iconic party, which runs from 10 p.m. until the early morning hours, is the brainchild of nightlife impresario Brent Bolthouse (the force behind the uber-popular Bungalow bars) and Jeffrey Best of Best Events, and draws a crowd of revelers that has included A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and Drake.
The venue’s grassy knoll will span the length of three football fields, blanketing it with carnival-style games, bumper cars, and other amusement park-inspired moments. Hydration brand Liquid I.V. is the headlining sponsor, and will be showcasing two new flavor offerings on site. The event will also feature VIP table service for the first time from sponsor PATRÓN EL ALTO, and, of course, the eye-catching branded Ferris wheel from longtime sponsor Levi’s.
Other sponsors this year will include Ghost Energy, Tangle Teezer, LaCroix, Coca-Cola, Nütrl Vodka Seltzers, French bee Airlines, ApeCoin, Heineken, and Path Water.
BizBash recently caught up with Bolthouse to chat all things Neon Carnival, including how it's evolved into one of the year's most coveted invites—and why he doesn't let anyone buy their way in—along with what he's most excited about this year, how he works with sponsors, and the No. 1 hospitality trend he hates right now.
In addition to creating Neon Carnival, hospitality veteran Brent Bolthouse is known for the famed Bungalow bars in California's Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, and Long Beach.Photo: Courtesy of Brent Bolthouse
Definitely the size. The size and magnitude are dramatically different than they were 13 years ago. We've evolved from the tarmac at the airport to this beautiful, large grassy field at Desert International Horse Park. We've grown to 10,000 attendees, which is really our sweet spot now. The new location awards us three parking entrances so there’s less congestion coming and going, which has been a real plus for the evolution because parking was always one of our biggest challenges. This has been a really nice venue for us.
Obviously, a ton of parties happen that same weekend—but Neon Carnival has really gotten a reputation as the must-have invite each year. What do you think makes it stand out so much?
Looking at my world and the way my career has evolved, Neon Carnival is sort of the last man standing of the old Bolthouse Productions parties. It’s guest list-only, invite-only, and kind of exclusive—even though it’s 10,000 people, we’ve actually vetted every single person that comes through. We spend a lot of time and energy curating the clientele and the guests that come. I think that’s one of the secrets to our success—you can’t buy your way into the event.
We also do our very best to make it a really fun party. That’s our North Star. The TikTok posts, or the influencers, or the celebrities—that’s all secondary to us. We’re not focused on some of the things that others are focused on in this day and age. Yes, we get influencers, and yes, people come in to get a photo. But I also see them putting their phones down and partaking in the three-dimensional world of life. They’re having fun riding a ride, dancing, and seeing their friends; they’re not just swiping, tagging, and posting. At Neon Carnival, you get to put your phone away for a couple of hours and just be human.
And that’s really what events are supposed to be about—which is easy to forget.
We’ve all seen these events where people run in, take a picture, and run out as fast as they can. That doesn’t feel like an event. That’s a photo opportunity.
You’ve mentioned that your team carefully curates the guest list. How do you approach that process?
We have a team that works on that. We get submissions, we get lists from our sponsors, and we work with talent agencies and modeling agencies. We’ve been doing this for 30 years now, so obviously we have a long list of relationships all over the world. Everyone is always asking, ‘How do I get in?’ And I always say, ‘We have 10,000 people; we say yes a lot.’ We can’t say yes to the entire world, but we recognize that sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, I need a plus 15’ because people are coming in groups. It grows pretty fast. 
The open-air party spans the length of three football fields.Photo: Al Powers
What’s it like working with Jeffrey Best and his team at Best Events?
Jeffrey and I were partners toward the end of my event career, and we’ve been friends for 30 years. He’s such a professional with an eye for detail, who really thinks way beyond the rabbit hole. We complement each other in a really nice way. As I was needing to grow and scale Neon Carnival, I had gotten out of the events world and didn’t really have a team anymore, so it just seemed like a natural fit to team up with Jeffrey. We have a lot of love and respect for each other.
What aspects of this year’s Neon Carnival are you most excited for?
This is the first year since, I believe, the beginning that we’ve changed the DJ lineup pretty radically. So I’m really excited to see how that translates to the energy of the night. Anderson .Paak, James Kennedy, Hunny Bee—it’s always interesting to see how this party excites even the most veteran DJs. They DJ a lot all over the world, and there's always still this beautiful moment when they're up there and they're like, 'Wow, this is actually really fun.'
Yes, there’s money that has to be exchanged, but the currency isn’t just money. At Neon Carnival, they’re DJing for their peers, their friends, people they like to hang out with. It’s one of those parties where you get there, and all your friends from Miami, New York, London, Sydney—they all end up at Neon Carnival. You get this melting pot of people from all over the world, people you might miss at the bigger festival; Neon Carnival is more concentrated.
We also shrunk the footprint a little bit this year so it’s not so spread out. It’s just a little tighter and more intimate. We’re always making small tweaks like that, and we’re going to see how it works. 
This year's event will feature sets from Grammy winner DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak), DJ and Vanderpump Rules star James Kennedy, and TikTok superstar DJ Hunny Bee .
I know there are always some standout sponsor activations—like new VIP table service this year from PATRÓN EL ALTO. What’s your secret to effectively integrating these sponsors?
Neon Carnival is an event where a lot of sponsors come to us. Levi’s, for example, pretty much only does stand-alone events that they own; this is the only one where they collaborate with anybody. What I try to do with the sponsors is explain to them that this doesn’t happen without Levi’s; it doesn’t happen without Liquid I.V.; it doesn’t happen without PATRÓN. We have to do this together; it’s a group effort and the way this thing works.
We have to almost be air traffic control, saying, ‘I see what you’re asking for but we have to look at it from the perspective of our other partner.’ We think of everybody as our partners.
I think that’s a big part of our success, too—we try to overcommunicate with our sponsors. We keep them looped in on the conversations. We have conversations like, ‘Hey, I know Levi’s has the apparel category, but other sponsors want to be on the T-shirt. Can we have three sponsors on it?’ And usually, the answer is ‘sure.' And then Levi’s says, ‘Hey, we want to put something on the table,’ which falls in the liquor category, and they go, ‘sure.’ There's this energy of a collective group of like-minded people and sponsors who are all trying to move forward for the same goal. 
The Levi's-branded Ferris wheel is a highlight each year.Photo: Al Powers
While I have you: What are some trends you’re loving or hating in events and hospitality right now?
I hate this trend of running into a bar, getting a picture, and running out. That’s not good for business. I really hope that we come full circle again, back to human beings wanting to be socially connected in a group setting. We saw the rise of vinyl records because people wanted to touch them and hold them and feel them. Hopefully, that also comes back to the hospitality space. It isn’t just about Postmates, about grab and go—you go in and experience these rooms that people in the hospitality space have put blood, sweat, and tears into bringing to life and keeping going.
I think there’s also a lack of sensitivity in the community and the customers right now. Many people don’t understand how difficult COVID was for people in hospitality, and how we were all making adjustments—and we’re still recovering. Sometimes you wanted to have three people hired but you could only find one that would work, so you’re two people down but you’re still open and people are frustrated. Hopefully there’s a sense of empathy for people in the hospitality space.
Can you share what else you’re working on these days?
We’re finally getting back into a little bit of development! We’re looking at some new locations for more Bungalows. Developers are out starting new projects, and that’s a great sign.
Any last thoughts on Neon Carnival or events in general?
I still love doing events, especially this event. It’s like doing dead lifts. [Laughs] It’s such a heavy lift, but it’s super fun. We’re so grateful that 13 years later, we’re still here, and it feels like this is going to be a great year for us. It’s kind of shocking this is still going; I’m pleasantly surprised and super grateful that we have the fans that keep coming back. I’m so humbled by that.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
