CAMPING FOR THE 1%

Tone-Deaf Rich Spark Huge Backlash for Showing Off at Coachella Music Festival

“Men used to go to war.”

“Eat the rich” is a timeless sentiment—and social media is making it easier than ever to spread the word.

The internet is losing it over the tone-deaf videos of people’s wildly expensive luxury campsites at the Coachella music festival, famous for being one of the biggest and most popular festivals of its kind in the world.

Every April, tens of thousands of people descend on the desert of Indio, California, for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for a weekend of music, partying, and, of course, posting on social media.

Beyond its music offerings, Coachella is known as “the place to be,” and most importantly, the place to be seen.

It attracts massive musical acts. Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Radiohead, and Harry Styles have been recent headliners. This year, the biggest headliner is Lady Gaga, with the likes of Green Day, Charli XCX, and Lisa from Blackpink also performing. They’re joined by a parade of A-list celebrities and influencers, whose bizarre festival outfits are usually the talk of the town.

But critics accuse the festival of morphing into a playground for influencers and the wealthy elite, claiming it is no longer about enjoying the music, but about curating the perfect Instagram feed.

This year, it’s not the outfits or influencer parties getting people worked up; it’s the videos of wealthy attendees flaunting their outrageously luxurious camping setups, which can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000.

These people—some of whom may be among the 60 percent who use payment plans to finance their Coachella trips—are showing their palatial digs like their very own Architectural Digest celebrity home tours.

The rich forking over thousands of dollars to “rough it” at Coachella has been going on for years. Now, with the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, it’s the first time people are getting to witness how the other half lives in real-time—and complain about them just as quickly.

The backlash is fierce.

The first viral video that set the internet on fire came from a first-time Coachella-goer on TikTok.

“I was going for a classic vintage camping vibe but elevated,” the TikToker explains as he unfurls a rug, sets up a blow-up mattress, and arranges a folding table with a tablecloth, a vintage lantern, and small cacti to nail the “authentic” vintage camping look.

Almost immediately, people started to troll him.

“‘Classic vintage camping’...Men used to go to war” one person wrote, racking up nearly 300k likes.

“Late-stage capitalism is sooo weird,” another quipped.

The video also sparked a wave of response clips, all echoing the same sentiment: “rich kids ruin everything.”

Other TikToks showcasing luxury campsites that featured air-conditioning, outlets, and mini-fridges—together costing more than a year’s rent for most attendees—only fanned the flames.

“Um, if I had $30k to drop, best believe it would NOT be on a Coachella campground 🤣,” one person joked.

And of course, the videos sparked a wave of comments referencing The Hunger Games, with many users writing, “Watching from district 12 like 👁️👄👁️.”

If the videos have taught people anything, it’s that for the rich, the definition of camping is paying for a tent nicer than most people’s apartments. Can anyone really camp without AC and a fridge full of gourmet snacks?

Clare DonaldsonEditorial Intern

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