JUSTIN Bieber’s highly anticipated appearance at Coachella is causing chaos this year, as festival-goers complain of price gouging and last-minute Airbnb cancellations.
Justin, who has barely performed in four years, will headline the major music festival this weekend and the following in Indio, California.
Residents near the festival grounds, at Empire Polo Club, have gotten creative in attempts to cash in, with one trying to rent out a laundry room to sleep in for $1,300.
An insider told The U.S. Sun, “Coachella is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and everyone wants to see Bieber; it seems to have more buzz than when Beyonce headlined.
“He has not toured in many years, and now the whole world is watching. Both weekends sold out in record time.”
Tickets for the festival, two hours outside of Los Angeles, sold out in 45 minutes, surpassing the previous record of one hour, set in 2022.
The source, who has had VIP access to the festival for years, claimed prices for artist guest passes, available through industry insiders attached to stars, have also sky-rocketed.
“Some buyers have been told they are being given refunds for ones they bought months ago, and that there is now a new price because of the demand this year,” he said.
“The price of artist guest passes has also gone up a lot for weekend two; it’s just crazy.”
He went on, “Most of the Coachella parties used to be open bar, but I’ve been told this year that a lot of them are charging.
“The price of accommodation also seems to have soared, and I know many are dealing with cancellations and scrambling to get something booked.
“I saw someone was renting out a laundry room, while others are trying to earn money from people camping in their backyards.”
The U.S. Sun verified a listing, which has now been removed, from one Airbnb host trying to rent out their laundry room for around $1,380 for three days.
Influencer Emma Fuller shared screenshots of the original post, saying, “My friend just got tickets to Coachella, and she’s looking for a place to stay, and she’s literally been showing me the craziest Airbnbs.
“Somebody put ‘laundry room for you to crash in’. There was another one of someone who put like a tent over their truck, listing it as an Airbnb for like a $1,000, and the laundry room is like $1,300.
“And this is why I’m just, I’m good, I’m perfectly fine with skipping out on all of that because what the f***.”
The same Airbnb host, living in Thermal, California, also added a listing, “Crash in my living room during Coachella,” which no longer has availability but still appears on the site.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the host for comment and understands Airbnb removed the laundry room post.
Influencer Jourdan David, who goes by @jourdanunbothered, also exposed price gouging on Instagram, saying friends had their Airbnbs canceled last-minute – only for owners to re-list for higher prices.
He shared screenshots with The U.S. Sun of booking details from pals he has been helping, including a spot booked three months in advance for $7,500 for four nights.
“The owner canceled just last week, which is two weeks before the festival, by saying he sold the house,” he said.
“Then he re-listed it for two and a half times the price the next day.”
He shared further screenshots of other examples and appealed to Airbnb to take action.
Jourdan told The U.S. Sun, “The festival has been on an upward trajectory for years, and factors driving increased interest, whether it’s the lineup or broader cultural buzz, are known well in advance.
“Pricing should reflect that upfront, not shift in a way that penalizes people who planned early.
“Many attendees organize these trips months ahead of time, budgeting carefully and coordinating with groups.
“When a host cancels last minute, it creates a ripple effect – financially and logistically – that can be very difficult to recover from, especially given the limited availability of accommodations during that time.”
He added, “Coachella itself has done a strong job of keeping ticket pricing relatively accessible while continuing to deliver a high-quality experience.
“The issue is increasingly with the surrounding ecosystem – short-term rentals and transportation – which can make attending far less attainable.”
A spokesperson for Airbnb claimed they ban hosts for canceling and re-listing at higher prices.
They said, “Festival-goers trust Airbnb for their Coachella stays because we offer options that fit all budgets and are reliable, with protections against rare issues like cancellations.
“We are not seeing any notable uptick in cancellations over Coachella weekends and 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.”
They added, “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.”
Posts on Reddit from other festival-goers show alleged cancellations this week.
One wrote, “Host just canceled on us with no reason … he only said he can no longer accommodate us.
“[What] hurts the most is that we had found a really good deal at 500$ for the entire weekend for 3 people… now I’m going to be out a couple of grand to find another spot last minute.”
There was no proof that the resident had reposted at a higher price.
A second Redditor shared a price hike two weeks ago, claiming, “We had booked an Airbnb in late January for wk1 of Coachella and the host had cancelled the booking when we originally had reserved it and messaged us that the listing had already been booked and accommodated us to another with the same price.
“Now comes today, and the host is saying the reservation we have already is not available and is telling us he knows another host, but we would have to pay extra. Does anyone know what we can do can do?”
Meanwhile, influencer Coco Mocoe took to Threads to complain that her Coachella ticket had been canceled three days before the event on StubHub.
“They are telling me there are no tickets available for replacement but have the same type of GA ticket listed for $900+ more dollars than I bought them for,” she wrote.
She later revealed on Instagram that she was scrambling to get new tickets, and told The U.S. Sun she felt “dejected.”
“I understand, though, that this Coachella was insanely popular because of Justin Bieber,” she added.
After being alerted of the situation, StubHub told The U.S. Sun, “StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee ensures that every order is protected. In the rare instance something goes wrong, we make it right.
“In this case, we were able to resolve the customer’s issue and ensure they can enjoy the event as planned.”
Coco added, “I’ve been to Coachella five times in the past and I’ve truly never seen so much pandemonium trying to get tickets and lodging.
“I am assuming it’s because Justin Bieber doesn’t perform live often so this will feel like a unique, legacy performance.”
Bieber fever has been spreading amid the star’s major live comeback, as the festival marks his first full concert in about four years after health issues and time away from touring.
He’s expected to perform music from his new albums, Swag and Swag II, alongside older hits.
In 2022, he revealed he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition caused by a virus that attacks nerves in the ear and face, leaving him with partial facial paralysis.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16188706/coachella-ticket-airbnb-prices-surge-justin-bieber/
