The gates are open and Bieberchella, er Coachella, is formally underway.
The 2026 version of the Coachella Valley’s iconic music competition kicked off within the desert Friday with as many as 125,000 individuals anticipated to attend every day of the occasion, headlined by Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G. In all, greater than 100 acts are set to carry out throughout eight phases. That means plenty of information is predicted out of Coachella this weekend however even earlier than the primary beats hit the audio system, social media algorithms have been in overdrive with competition chatter, gossip and controversies.
One of the narratives that emerged in latest days got here from content material creators who declare their Airbnb reservations have been abruptly canceled, presumably so house owners might rebook the properties for 1000’s of {dollars} extra as a result of elevated demand amid the recognition of acts like Bieber. Based on the variety of posts, it appeared prefer it was turning into one thing of a grasping pattern. The feedback sections underneath every video rapidly stuffed with others claiming to have skilled the identical shock days earlier than the competition.
Sophie Rain, a well known creator with 15 million followers on TikTok who’s finest identified for her OnlyFans profession, took to the platform to share her experience having her Airbnb cancelled three days earlier than the occasion. She stated she paid $29,000 for the unique itemizing solely to should re-book for $83,375. One TikTok person, Haylee Dahlgren, shared her expertise with a detailed clip as one person replied, “Literally happened to us too!!! 7 days before Coachella with a group of 7!!! Wtf!?!!”
Another commenter shared their story, and stated the proprietor of their rental blamed the town of Palm Springs for sending a letter that demanded they cancel the reservation as a result of metropolis ordinances. “It is supply and demand,” wrote one other. “We all learned this in economics class in high school.” So many individuals got here ahead with cancellation claims {that a} Reddit thread emerged titled “AirBnB canceled on you? Post them here.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the City of Palm Springs and a consultant shot down the story. “I can confirm, the City of Palm Springs has not sent letters to home owners or Airbnb property managers demanding that they cancel rentals for this weekend, per the rep. THR also connected with a spokesperson for Airbnb on Friday, and he said the company has not seen “any notable uptick” in cancellations over this weekend or subsequent.
“We’ve reached out to a small number of guests who raised concerns on social media to provide support. We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents — including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on re-listing for a higher price — as well as 24/7 guest support,” says the rep. “We require that all listings and hosts meet our high standards, and we support affordability with pricing tools for hosts as well as price filters and upfront total price transparency for guests, so travelers can easily find options that fit their budget and book with confidence.”
It just isn’t unusual for leases to seem on Airbnb in addition to different short-term rental websites like Vrbo, Booking.com, and others, making it potential for house owners to cancel reservations and rebook on different websites to sidestep Airbnb’s insurance policies. It is known that some who have been crying foul on-line misplaced their reservations as a result of not offering cost in full or for different causes.
According to numerous stories, in-demand properties have been going for 1000’s and in some instances tens of 1000’s of {dollars}. For comparability, THR checked final minute lodging availability and discovered that even finances properties like Motel 6 and Best Western have been renting rooms for near $600 or $700 per evening, respectively. A room on the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa was accessible for Friday evening for $2,487 per evening on Hotels.com. That’s nothing in comparison with ticket costs. According to Stub Hub on Friday afternoon, a normal admission ticket for Coachella prices $5,263, whereas a VIP ticket for Friday evening was going for $10,330 together with charges.
Meanwhile, one other narrative that has gained traction in latest days is the variety of influencers who had their RSVPs erased by model companions proper earlier than the principle occasion.
Creator Kelsey Kotzur got here ahead lower than two weeks in the past to assert that she had been invited by an unnamed model to attend Coachella, solely to be advised shortly thereafter that the model had reached capability and needed to rescind the invitation. “I’m actually taking myself on vacation instead,” she stated. Others who stated they experienced similar reverse invites embody Glocortez and Yazmin Marziali.
Not everyone seems to be shopping for it. According to an insider, cries of final minute cancellations are a stunt mounted by determined creators who by no means had affords within the first place. The veteran attendee tells THR that a few of these claiming to have been nixed from attending last-minute by no means had agreements in place and by posting sob tales, they hope to get rescued by different manufacturers or inns. “It’s typical behavior,” hissed the insider. But it appears to be working, whatever the sincerity of the allegations. In the feedback part of one of many movies, THR noticed the Hilton resort group providing to offer lodging.
“I smell a stunt,” says creator Corey Jacob in a video posted this week, including that he believes it’s all copycat creators who’re hopping on a pattern to attain free digs and Coachella tickets. Stunts apart, Coachella is dwell and might be seen here; model invitations and reservations not required.
