Neon Carnival Sets Date for 2016 (Exclusive)

Neon Carnival 2019 will run for two nights: Saturday night, April 13, and Saturday night, April 27 (on the same weekend as the Stagecoach music festival.)

Neon Carnival, the annual celebrity-stacked after-hours fair near Coachella thrown by ringmaster Brent Bolthouse at a private airport, returns to Thermal, California on Saturday April 16, TheWrap’s Party Report has learned.

Having spent over a decade in desert during Coachella’s opening weekend, the unaffiliated one-night-only affair that lands in the gray area between Saturday night and Sunday morning has seen Clint Eastwood wield a (water) gun for carnival games, Rihanna pull up in her tour bus, Justin Bieber claim an elevated table, and just last year, Leonardo DiCaprio raise his fist in a victory salute 10 months before those digits would finally clasp Oscar gold.

Also Read: WTF Is Up With Madonna? A Short Explainer

Clint Eastwood made everyone’s night the year he showed up. (World Red Eye)

In an early pre-Obama incarnation, when it used to be inside one of the hangars for a much smaller crowd of intimates, the late DJ AM anchored one plank of a DJ troika, with Steve Aoki and Danny Masterson. Aoki was years away from his current stature as a global producer, label owner, and cake-tossing entertainer.

2016 attendees can expect new rides, a new setup, as well as DJs Kayper, Politik, Jesse Marco, and the under-appreciated DJ Ruckus, all of which will keep a predominantly industry crowd dancing late in to the night — or early into the morning, depending on how you look at it.

Paper Magazine Presents Neon Carnival With PacSun, "Dope" The Movie And Tequila Don Julio

Leonardo DiCaprio claimed a dance floor table in 2015. (Getty Images)

Despite the historic Guns N’ Roses reunion at the polo grounds earlier that night at and the fashion elite choosing Jeremy Scott’s gathering elsewhere in the desert, organizers never considered reformatting.

Also Read: Justin Bieber Settles Lawsuit With Paparazzo Who Says Star Kicked Him

“I think we were the first (side) event in the desert around that musical weekend that mattered,” creator Brent Bolthouse told TheWrap when reached in Mexico earlier this week. “Saturday has just always worked for us.”

EXCLUSIVE-Thermal, CA - 04/14/12 - The A|X Armani Exchange & T-Mobile NEON CARNIVAL -PICTURED: Usher -PHOTO by: Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com -DSC_9122 Startraks Photo New York, NY For licensing please call 212-414-9464 or email sales@startraksphoto.com

Why not? Usher at the 2012 Neon Carnival. (World Red Eye)

The event has no affiliation with the Coachella festival, other than Bolthouse swearing that barring a catastrophe, he will make it to the concert to see at least a part of Axl, Slash and Duff McKagan complete their reunion.

“(Duff is) a friend,” Bolthouse adds. “I grew up with that band.”

Also Read: Shake Shack Finally Opens in West Hollywood, Customers Break Into Happy Dance (Video)

It’s the one late-night after-after party where the Party Report has spotted agency department heads lining up next to pregnant TV hosts who could not be slowed down, while NBCUniversal executives who traveled all the way from New York ranked it as a “must-do”.

Corporate Hollywood has also taken note. Open Road, the studio behind the Oscar winning Best Picture “Spotlight,” sponsored last year’s carnival to hype Sundance hit “Dope” to that crowd. This year, two denim lines (Re/Done and Levi’s) are the title sponsors, while Tequila Don Julio will bring an airstream trailer on to the grounds and provide the pours.

For Kings of Leon’s Jared Followill (left), one year you’re headlining Coachella and a few festivals later, you’re driving British-style in a bumper car.

Only 2,865 people live in the host town of Thermal. Many more than that made their way past layers of security and down a neon alley to a tarmac littered with ferris wheel, bumper cars, makeup stations, food, a vast outdoor nightclub, Kendall Jenner, Lars Ulrich from Metallica, private jets, and Chris Brown last year.

“We get so many people trying to buy tables from us,” Bolthouse said. “We don’t sell tables and we don’t sell tickets. Just because that happens at nightclubs on Sunset Boulevard doesn’t mean that happens for this.”

Brent Bolthouse and Allesandra Ambrosio, whose husband Jamie Mazur’s denim line Re/Done is underwriting Neon Carnival 2016.

As the footprint has grown, so has the infrastructure.

Multiple days of advance check-in will take place at a Hollywood nightclub 120 miles away from the event, stadium lights illuminate vast parking lots, and in the past few years, flashing road signs attempt to thwart crashers with a “Guest List Only” warning on the state roads nearby.

“I would say this publicly to all the people on Craigslist buying wristbands for Neon Carnival: ‘It’s not going to happen this year. Don’t waste your money, because you’re not going to get in. We’re very adamant about that.’,” Bolthouse warned.

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich ducking in to a nearby hangar for a breather. (Getty Images)

In a bad sign for those on the fringes of the invite list, the attendance is getting clipped.

“I think is now my 25^th year in the nightclub business. If you don’t have a relationship with us after 25 years, I don’t know what to tell you,” Bolthouse said. “This is not a 300 person Oscar party. We want people to be there. We want people to have fun.”

Uh-oh…the line. (Mikey Glazer)

Jeffrey Best and NVE’s Cameron Huston & Brett Hyman produce with Bolthouse. Rembrandt Flores, Joyce Sevilla, and EFG return for the unenviable task of juggling inquiries.

More details on the big musical weekends in the desert to come…

Please send additional event info, bookings, and invites to TheWrap’s Party Report columnist Mikey Glazer here.

Hollywood Hits Coachella: Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Paul McCartney, Adam Levine (Updating Photos)

Coachella's Weekend 1 drew all flavors of celebrity: Screen icons mixing with metal pioneers, "Voice" judges with Beatles, trouble magnets, and some actual great music at the Polo Grounds.
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Leonardo DiCaprio came in to Saturday night's Neon Carnival fired up and early: dancing, flexing, and kissing his bicep. He took a table on the front row right on the dancefloor.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Justin Bieber came too, but Kendall Jenner (underage) could not.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Kellan's got a new job: Fox's "Fear Factor" derivative "Bullseye."
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Ringmaster Brent Bolthouse (who produces and owns the Neon Carnival concept/party/marketing platform) with Alessandra Ambrosio. He had a lot of VIP guests. Here's some of them...
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The most mildly behaving Jenner at Coachella, Brody, with "Western Wild" blogger Kaitlynn Carter.
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Brody, your little sister is wagging a finger.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
A regular: Julianne Hough
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Michael Kovac captured this perfectly contemporary portrait at Neon Carnival: "Justin Bieber, Lit by Cell Phone."
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Neon regulars Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung. Chung's new series "Resident Advisors" just premiered on Thursday.
John Sciulli/Getty Images for Tequila Don Julio
From the forthcoming "Dope," star Chanel Iman had the special on-stage wristband.
John Sciulli/Getty Images for Tequila Don Julio
Open Road's Sundance breakout also made their presence with astronaut twins.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Bolthouse's big tent brings out both high, low, and uncategorizable Hollywood. Exhibit A: Scene fixture Simon Rex.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
2011 Coachella headliner Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) got an early ride on the bumper cars just after 10:30 p.m.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Metallica's Lars Ulrich in the quintessential rockstar pose: inside a private hangar with a model girlfriend. (The hangar was the production office for Neon Carnival)
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Jeffrey Best built a new layout, with matching three level platforms housing vastly expanded VIP booths, 35 in total.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
But the most choice table at the party was Don Julio's secret "chefs table" inside their airstream, where they poured 1942.
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Of the 35 VIP tables set up, insiders correctly predicted Ms. Hilton would want one of the 3 isolated ones directly in front of the stage.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Scott Eastwood came to the PacSun sponsored event, a few years after his dad Clint turned heads with a "WTF?" appearance.
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DJ Ruckus' refreshing open format set rose above amongst the multiple club DJ's who played. He has a new residency at Omnia in Vegas...
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Not to take away from Brit DJ Kayper, who made a return to the carnival.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images
After a crush of blue-wristbanded wrists (and some naked wrists unsuccessfully trying to slip cash to security), guests could exhale at reaching the arrivals chute.
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Exhibit B: Tara Reid with a guy whose profile continues to rise globally, street artist Alec Monopoly. Appropriate for both Reid and Monopoly, Paper Magazine partnered on the party.
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Meanwhile over at Jeremy Scott's event in Bermuda Dunes, Alexander Wang had a full car.
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Super group and super friends Diplo (who played Alexander Wang's party on this night last year) with JackU mate Skrillex.
Tommaso Boddi/WireImage
The crown wears Scott well. Fergie hung with the designer at the DeLeon Tequila hosted event.
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Scott (center) had a relatively small entourage, yet the door still got shut down early.
Tommaso Boddi/WireImag
Earlier at the concerts, Axwell & Ingrosso had the challenge of playing their EDM set on an outdoor set instead of a tent, which allows for less visual production.
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Nonetheless, 2/3 of Swedish House Mafia still had more firepower than many small nations in their arsenal.
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It was not nearly cold enough in the desert on Saturday to require Rihanna's purple coat.
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Obligatory cutaway/reaction shot: Backstage, Chris Brown looked unencumbered.
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Chris Brown roughhouses Justin Bieber at Nylon's Midnight Garden party in Bermuda Dunes on Friday night.
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Don't worry Justin. He was just pretending to punch you.
Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images
In the front of house, Father John Misty put on a typically weird set.
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Clint Eastwood, a surprisingly Coachella regular now, with Metallica's Lars Ulrich.
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The big surprise in Hozier's sunset set (on the main stage) was Este Haim joining him for his penultimate song: a cover of "Jungle Love".
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Sunset on Day 2.
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Two guys at the top of their games: Hozier and Aaron Paul.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
FKA Twigs lit up the Gobi tent on Saturday night.
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Personifying the cross-industry interest in Coachella, The Hoff hung backstage on Saturday.
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"Orange is the New Black's" Taryn Manning ducked in to the Samsung Galaxy Owners Lounge, an oasis in the desert.
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Tyler the Creator performed on the Outdoor stage in the same yellow shorts he was wearing 24 hours earlier in the Rose Garden VIP.
eff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Earlier on Saturday, Mac De Marco had designated "backup drinkers" during his acoustic set at the Soho Desert House. Spotify put him on as part of their active Coachella presence.
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On Sunday, Katy Perry costume designer/stylist and DJ Johnny Wujek chilled out at the Soho Desert House, taking in the Merv Griffin Estate lake.
Michael Bezjian/Getty Images
After Saturday night's Neon Carnival, Paper Magazine's Karim Abay hosted a "recovery brunch" at Soho. Sarah Hyland sat in at the long table. Grey Goose, and then BMWs for rides, helped the Soho festivities flow.
Fergie strolled through the main VIP on Friday afternoon, camouflaged by all the similar fashion.
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Lots of "Out Of Offices" on Friday. I'm guessing all of these people have finished their taxes already.
Mikey Glazer
Paris and Nicky Hilton walking hand-in-hand was a common sighting on Friday.
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Adam Levine and Behati Prisloo backstage.
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Prinsloo also did as all other celebs did, hung with 1000s of others in VIP (including Tara Lipinski and "Catfish's" Nev Schulman), grabbing one cup of the millions of gallons of Heineken.
Splash
Christina Milian (right) is going for an early J. Lo look at the Nylon Midnight Garden. Between her and Brown's hair, Karrueche Tran (left) comes out looking really good here.
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Paul McCartney and Adam Levine backstage on Friday night.
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Speaking of Beatles...Sean Lennon (with Charlotte Kemp Muhl) performed with his band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
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Katy Perry (center) was the most conservatively wardrobed member of her group at the Soho Desert House on Saturday afternoon after a Harper's brunch that ran well in to the afternoon.
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PopSugar founder Lisa Sugar, Zoe Kravitz, and Mara Hoffman were headliners at the PopSugar's Council Of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA) Brunch, also in Palm Springs.
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Andrew McMahon gets the high fives during his Saturday afternoon performance.
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Also on Saturday, Joe Jonas DJ'd 1OAK's party with Tinder.
Owen Kolasinski
#CoachellaWedding. (It was planned, not impromptu).
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Festival Bros.
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Gramatik filled the Sahara tent mid-afternoon on Saturday
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DJ Leigh Lezark, host Rachel Zoe, and Emily Ratajkowski at The Zoe Report brunch in Palm Springs on Saturday afternoon
ACDC was technically the headliner on Friday, but finished before the throbbing spaceship of the Sahara tent. Tough to compete with this...
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Ryan Tedder joined Alesso's closing set for 3 songs, scaling the staging.
Mikey Glazer
Hip hop is not dead. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon prepared to take the stage on Friday afternoon.
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The astronaut of years past is gone. Now, the appropriately slow moving caterpillar is the marquee festival art for 2015.
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The astronaut is back in smaller form, as an attendee's +1.
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Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) doing Brittany Howard things.
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The two "statement" art pieces pass each other. The "Corporate Headquarters" piece is stationary.
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Buddies Blake Anderson (from Comedy Central) and Tyler the Creator hanging on the rail. The two became chummy at the Roseanne Barr roast a few years ago.
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Charles Bradley, who began his career as a James Brown impersonator, is having a career peak in his late 60s.
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The glowing desert fields.
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On the day their new GS6 launched, Samsung also showed off their VR technology and upgraded lucky fans to VIP status.
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Ryan Tedder with Alesso. Full disclosure: I'm proud of this shot I took while demo'ing a loaner Galaxy S 6.
Mikey Glazer
Cody Simpson is not a poser. He has been rocking the hat look since early in awards season. He did pose for a shot inside H&M's festival HQ.
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Gigi Hadid and Sarah Hyland at the officially sanctioned "H&M Loves Coachella" cocktail party at the Parker on Friday afternoon.
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This is not a mistake photo. There was a runway fashion show in Palm Springs, thrown by frequent Hollywood event sponsor Pandora jewelry.
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Natural extension of Coachella's fashion vibe or ridiculous leap off brand? Doesn't matter. Jamie Chung and Victoria Justice prove the concept by attending.
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The word on the street is that designer Jeremy Scott has not one, but two parties on Saturday night. The Moschino one, and then his own private after hours that is "the real one". He hopped on this bike and sipped Lucky Buddha Beer at The Retreat in Palm Springs.
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Kiesza had a moment on Friday. Her show drew so many people that fans could not even get a glimpse inside the Mojave tent. I smell an upgrade to a bigger stage for Weekend 2.
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Kiesza also had photog Bryant Eslava trailing her all weekend capturing her top Coachella moments, part of American Express' "Journey Never Stops" campaign.
Koury Angelo for America Express
Patrick Schwarzenegger went king kong in the H&M tent on the grounds.
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Paris Hilton still turns heads and draws crowds, even when traveling without any security in a small group.
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Meanwhile at the chill Soho House satellite Soho Desert House, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Kate Bosworth were ready for a luncheon.
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Singer Bonnie Mckee gives us the rare celebrity actually-dressed-for-a-pool-party shot at the H&M cocktails.
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The relaxed vibe at Soho Desert House outside...
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...and the usual rush for mixology inside.
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Cars began arriving in to the camping areas at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Mikey Glazer
This group of ladies from San Luis Obispo were five of hundreds raiding a Ralph/CVS complex for essentials on Thursday morning.
Mikey Glazer
This hub closest to the campgrounds looked like a college football tailgate on a Thursday morning.
Mikey Glazer
The calm before. This is what the polo fields looked like 24 hours before the concerts began.
Mikey Glazer

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The 2015 gallery of the scene in and around Indio from Wrap Party Report’s Mikey Glazer

Coachella's Weekend 1 drew all flavors of celebrity: Screen icons mixing with metal pioneers, "Voice" judges with Beatles, trouble magnets, and some actual great music at the Polo Grounds.

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