The gates are open and Bieberchella, er Coachella, is officially underway.
The 2026 edition of the popular Coachella Valley music festival kicked off in the desert on Friday, and up to 125,000 people are expected to attend each day of the event, led by Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Carole G. In total, more than 100 works are scheduled to be presented across eight stages. That means there’s a lot of news expected to come out of Coachella this weekend, but even before the first tunes hit the speakers, social media algorithms were in overdrive with festival chatter, gossip, and controversies.
One story that has emerged in recent days has come from content creators claiming their Airbnb reservations were suddenly cancelled, so owners could rebook properties for thousands of additional dollars due to surging demand amid the popularity of acts like Bieber. Based on the number of posts, it seems it has become something of a greed trend. The comment sections under each video were quickly filled with other people claiming to have experienced the same trauma days before the festival.
One TikTok user, Haylee Dahlgren, shared her experience with a detailed clip where one user responded, “Literally happened to us too!!! 7 days before Coachella with a group of 7!!! Wtf!?!!” Another commenter shared his story and said the rental owner blamed the city of Palm Springs for sending a letter asking them to cancel the reservation due to city ordinances. “It’s supply and demand,” another wrote. “We all learned this in high school economics class.” Many people filed cancellation claims that appeared on Reddit with the title “Your AirBnB was cancelled? Post it here.”
Hollywood Reporter I contacted the city of Palm Springs and a representative dropped the story. “I can confirm that the City of Palm Springs did not send letters to homeowners or Airbnb property managers asking them to cancel rentals this weekend, according to the representative. THR He also reached out to an Airbnb spokesperson on Friday, who said the company had not seen “any noticeable increase” in cancellations over the weekend or the following.
“We’ve reached out to a small number of guests who have raised concerns on social media to offer support. We know that a host cancellation can derail plans, which is why we have deterrents in place — including cancellation fees, a calendar block to prevent rebooking, and a higher price re-listing ban — as well as 24/7 guest support,” the rep says. “We require all listings and hosts to meet our high standards, and we support affordability through pricing tools for hosts as well as price filters and total price transparency up front for guests, so travelers can easily find options that fit their budget and book with confidence.”
It’s not uncommon for rentals to appear on Airbnb as well as other short-term rental sites like Vrbo, Booking.com, and others, allowing owners to cancel reservations and rebook on other sites to bypass Airbnb’s policies. It is understood that some who were complaining online lost their bookings because the full amount was not paid or for other reasons.
According to various reports, the properties requested were worth thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars. For comparison, THR I checked last-minute lodging availability and found that even budget properties like Motel 6 and Best Western were renting rooms for close to $600 or $700 per night, respectively. A room at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa was available Friday night for $2,487 per night on Hotels.com. This is nothing compared to ticket prices. According to Stub Hub on Friday afternoon, a general admission ticket for Coachella costs $5,263, while a VIP ticket for Friday night costs $10,330 including fees.
Meanwhile, another narrative that has gained attention in recent days is the number of influencers whose RSVPs were scanned by brand partners just before the main event.
Less than two weeks ago, creator Kelsey Kotzur came forward to claim she was invited by an unnamed brand to attend Coachella, only to be told shortly thereafter that the brand had reached capacity and had to rescind the invitation. “I’m actually taking myself on vacation instead,” she said. Others who said they were subjected to similar reverse invitations include Glocortez and Yazmin Marziali.
Not everyone buys it. According to one insider, the last-minute cancellation cries are a ploy pulled by desperate creatives who never received offers in the first place. says the veteran attendee THR Some of those who claim to have been turned away at the last minute never had agreements in place and by publishing sob stories, are hoping to be bailed out by other brands or hotels. “It’s typical behavior,” the insider whispered. But it seems to be working, regardless of the veracity of the claims. In the comments section of a video, THR Spotted Hilton Hotel Group offering accommodation.
“I smell a gimmick,” creator Corey Jacob says in a video posted this week, adding that he thinks all the copycat creators are jumping on the trend to score free digs and Coachella tickets. Stunts aside, Coachella is live and can be watched here; Brand invitations and reservations are not required.
