The Tamesis
Brands were out in force during the first weekend of Coachella. Justin Bieber’s Skylrk hosted “Skylrk Oasis” at the festival grounds, which will run into the second weekend (it’s Bieberchella, after all). Gap, Coachella’s exclusive apparel sponsor and official merchandise partner, is selling hoodies at the “Hoodie House” on the festival grounds. Offsite, Rhodes hosts Rhode World, the first music venue for Coachella, as well as desert regulars like Revolve, Poosh, Guess, 818 and more.
A range of FMCG brands are also getting in on the act, from desert veteran (and influencer) Poppi, to the likes of Starbucks and cleaning products brand Method. This reflects Coachella’s rise from the fashion and beauty influencer Olympics to a pure branding game. “Now, ‘Brandchella’ is no longer about exclusivity, it’s about visibility,” says Vesper Ireland, founder of creative agency Vescorp. “Festivals, in turn, exchange some of their underground creative energy for mass cultural influence, which is ultimately more valuable to brands.”
As Coachella strays further into corporate and commercial territory, onlookers are wondering whether the music festival has reached a tipping point. Instead, things appear to be moving in the opposite direction. “There’s no doubt that Coachella is a world apart from its independent origins, and its success as a commercial powerhouse has shown signs of decline in recent years. However, we’ve witnessed a resurgence this year,” said Rebecca Hobbs, senior trends editor for retail and brand communications at trend intelligence agency Stylus. “Tickets are already sold out and brand activity has increased significantly compared to the 2025 edition.”
Experts agree that it’s no wonder brands want to get in on the action. Coachella is one of the most impactful times of the year, with creators on the scene competing to post videos in exchange for access to the festival, exclusive events, or products. Ireland says that during Coachella, if run correctly, the organic reach generated in 72 hours is greater than what a paid media budget of the same size could generate in a month. “Everything about Coachella is commercial,” says Eve Lee, founder of The Digital Fairy, who calls Coachella the festival’s “branding mecca.”
But not all brands can cut through the noise. Social media management tool Metricool typically places a “good” engagement rate in the 1% to 3% range; Alexandra Caceres, the company’s influencer marketing expert, says engagement rates above that usually mean high engagement from fans, not just strong visibility. But at Coachella, that’s not the case. “From the data point of view, [many] Well-known brands are actually falling below this level [range]“New brands or brands that are more culturally relevant are seeing significant increases in engagement,” Cáceres said. Brands including Guess, Revolve and Poosh all have engagement rates below 1%, according to Metricool. At the same time, brands created by celebrities and influencers have clear advantages. Alix Earle’s new Reale Actives and its Reale Actives casa generated an engagement rate of 8.12%, followed by Rhode at 3.68%.
