Footage of "Adrian's Kickback" Shows People Flooding to TikTok Birthday Party
Published May 25 2021, 4:12 p.m. ET
Huntington Beach, Calif., residents witnessed swarms of people heading to a beach party on Saturday, May 22, 2021 — and they had the "Adrian’s Kickback" TikTok videos to thank. (Or blame, if you’re not the partying type.)
Huntington Beach police officers were “actively monitoring” the situation after TikTok user Adrian Lopez’s birthday party invitation went viral. That original invitation is now offline, but there was still plenty of hype leading up to the event.
Adrian invited fellow TikTok users to “pop out” and celebrate his birthday on May 22, 2021.
In a May 19 video on his @adrian.lopez517 account — a video that seems to now be offline — Adrian invited other TikTokers to “pop out [and] celebrate my b’day,” as Deadline reports. The site also touts that the name of the event is inspired by “Kickback,” a track by Argentinian DJ and music producer Adrian Hour.
Adrian’s post had been viewed more than 3 million times, according to Deadline, while TikTok videos hashtagged #adrianskickback have gotten 123.7 million views so far.
A screenshot of the original video reads, “Adrian’s Kickback. Location: Huntington Beach at [the] fire pits. Date: May 22nd. Time: 7:30 p.m. BYOE [Bring your own everything]. Slide through this Saturday. We finna turn up!”
Huntington Beach police were “taking significant steps” to prepare for the party and the “influx” of visitors.
The Huntington Beach Police Department referenced Adrian’s Kickback party in Twitter posts on Friday, May 21. “We are actively monitoring multiple social media posts advertising a large gathering on the beach this weekend,” the police department tweeted.
The message continued: “The safety and well-being of our residents, visitors, businesses, and motorists is paramount, which is why the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) is taking significant steps to prepare for the potential influx of visitors, including working closely with our regional public safety partners. Toward that end, the HBPD will also be strictly enforcing all applicable laws and ordinances throughout the weekend.”
Adrian was still hyping up the party ahead of the event — which one commenter said is his Coachella.
Even though the original video is no longer available, Adrian still urged fans to “pop out” in a TikTok reply to a user who said the party was “lookin’ a lil’ tempting.”
And commenters on that post remarked on all the buzz around the party. “Adrian, this ain’t no kickback no more. It’s your Coachella now.”
Some commenters, meanwhile, asked logistical questions — asking, for example, if there will be busses for party guests. And others, perhaps cheekily, asked about adult supervision at the bash. “My mom wants to know if any adults will be there,” one said. Another wrote, “Are there gonna be chaperones?” And a third commented, “My mom said I can only go if she can talk to your mom.”
Even celebrities are talking about the bash. “Y’all goin’ to Adrian’s kickback tomorrow?” Disney Channel star Skai Jackson tweeted. DJ Valentino Khan tweeted, “So who’s tryna pull up to Adrian’s kickback?”
YouTuber Alex Warren, on the other hand, is confused by the viral posts. “WTF is Adrian’s kickback?” he wrote.
Video of Adrian's Kickback party shows swarms of people going to the event.
After Adrian Lopez’s 17th birthday "kickback" went viral on TikTok, thousands of California teenagers showed up for the party of the year. https://nyti.ms/3ulipJZ
Posted by The New York Times on Tuesday, May 25, 2021
In case you were wondering whether Adrian's Kickback party actually happened, it did — and video footage from the event is wild. The party didn't take place at a beach, though, per The New York Times.
“We honestly got scared, so we thought about the idea of getting a venue,” Adrian told the publication.
He and an older friend ended up partnering with a popular sneaker and streetwear store Cookies N’ Kicks to sell $40 tickets to the event, which was held in Los Angeles at an undisclosed space that was supposed to have been revealed just before the party. (Unfortunately, the location leaked, a crowd formed outside of the venue, and it was shut down before it even started.)
Thousands of teenagers, including social media influencers, showed up for the event —except many didn't get the memo that it had been moved to LA, and crowds formed at Huntington Beach. Before long, the situation got out of control.
"When the police began trying to disperse the crowd, things turned violent," according to The New York Times. "The windshield of a police car was smashed and some people threw bottles and other objects at the police. The police shot nonlethal rounds into the crowd. Eventually, the authorities issued an emergency overnight curfew and nearly 150 attendees were arrested."
So yeah. Maybe don't share details of a giant beach rager on TikTok — and especially not immediately after the nation has been socially distancing for over a year.
On second thought, go for it. Because it looks like Adrian has a solid social media influencer career ahead of him now.
