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Author: Nelly McGough – Project Manager.
A couple weekends ago, the sun-scorched Colorado Desert saw hundreds of thousands of sequin and tassel clad partygoers descend for the first installment of Coachella 2025. Every April, A-list celebrities, mega-influencers, artists and brands congregate for one of the world’s most famous music festivals, which over the years has transformed itself into a marketing powerhouse. As Coachella unofficially kicks off each year’s festival season, we take a look at some of the most memorable brand activations from Weekend 1, and ask what makes a successful festival activation.
The question of ‘why activate at a festival’ is largely answered by Variety’s recent on-the-ground research at Coachella. 100 attendees were asked if they were there for the festival or the experience, and 66% expressed it was for the latter. Festival crowds are a marketer’s dream: a 48-72 hour captive audience eager for new experiences. The buzzing atmosphere puts everyone in a fantastic mood, meaning they’re more receptive to trying new things and engaging with brands. People spend the year counting down to their festivals, and so the weekend provides brands with a rare opportunity to be part of a real moment and memories that people will carry with them.
Not to mention, festivals are an absolute UGC factory now. From Pinterest searches of ‘Coachella inspired outfits’ to TikToks rating the most expensive meals punters consumed over the 2 days, we’re a far cry away from the days where the only snippets of festivals you could catch were the BBC 1 Glastonbury highlights. Everything is documented for those not lucky enough to get a ticket, and brands should be doing everything to make sure their activations are worthy of a spot in the highlight reel.
So, who achieved this at Coachella?
Aperol Spritz
One of the most shared activations from Weekend 1 of Coachella was the Aperol Spritz Piazza. Aperol created a bright and playful reimagining of a traditional Italian piazza, providing people with much needed respite from the heat and serving up the iconic aperitif. Visitors were entertained by a trivia contest, the grand prize of which was a chance to meet pop megastar Charli XCX.
818 Tequila Outpost
Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila Outpost is becoming something of a mainstay of Coachella. This year, the bar in the style of a retro gas station not only served attendees Jenner’s tequila range, it also played host to several brand collabs. Hailey Bieber’s Rhode skincare photobooth, a Skechers customization stand, and Patrick Starr’s One Size Beauty all made appearances, generating a huge amount of viral buzz.
Sol de Janiero
Cult fragrance brand Sol de Janiero created a ‘sensory playground’, a playful 30×30 oasis in the heat of the desert in which visitors could take part in interactive scent experiences and star in their own music video. Sol also repurposed their pastel orelhoes, first seen at Miami Art Basel last year, for the installation.
What worked for brands at Coachella this year?
Clearly, a branded company gazebo isn’t going to cut it at a festival. Attendees are there to revel in art, music and culture – and so the best activations will replicate this formula. If you create a fun and aesthetically interesting set, you’ll get people to stick around and hopefully keep returning over the course of the weekend. Provide people with somewhere to go when they want to sit down, cool off, relax and hydrate. Freebies should be digital, or small & easy to carry. Bonus points if they can be eaten or drank at the festival.
Much has been said over the years about the changing landscape of influencer and celebrity culture at Coachella, with many marketers noting that a certain sense of ‘influencer fatigue’ has permeated the festival. Just by looking at 2025’s brand presence so far, that doesn’t seem to strictly be true. The brand collab between ‘chella It Girls Kendal Jenner and Hailey Bieber and the surprise meet and greet with the party girl of the hour, Charli XCX, show that celebrity and name recognition have retained their strong allure. However, brands have clearly recognized that consumers still want more. The Aperol Spritz and 818 Tequila Outpost didn’t gain vitality simply by having celebrities present, they provided an immersive, memorable experience that captured people’s imaginations and kept them talking.
Be part of it.
BeSixth.
