Hot Dog Vendors Are All About Opportunity When It Comes to Thrifty Coachella Attendees

Most of those who follow Coachella from afar and live vicariously through users on social media tend to wonder the most about the food. What do they eat at the two-weekend-long festival and how much does food cost? While you'd be hard-pressed to find a hot dog cart inside the walls of the event, apparently, you can always find a decent one right outside. That was proven when attendees shared videos of hot dog vendors storming Coachella just as the event let out for its first weekend in April 2025.

It might sound dramatic, but that's exactly how patrons have described the incident on social media. Upon the gates opening after the final show of the first weekend on April 13, hot dog vendors hurried to the exit to peddle their inexpensive and easily accessible meals. One user on TikTok, however, claimed that the vendors knocked down an entire wall in their excitement to get to potential customers. Now, there's a debate about whether or not Coachella attendees want hot dog vendors there after events.

In videos that are making the rounds on social media, users are claiming that hot dog vendors stormed Coachella and even broke down a fence in their way. While the destruction claims aren't confirmed, the videos do show some excited vendors hurrying to the exit at Coachella to line up and hopefully make some cash from hungry attendees.

One user who shared a video on TikTok wrote in the caption, "While leaving Coachella, a bunch of hot dog vendors literally stormed the venue, breaking down the fence and throwing the fence, almost hitting a child. Security told us to get back, as they were going to spray them with pepper spray. Scary stuff."

Under the same TikTok video, most users were in support of the vendors, even with the possibility of destruction of property. Most were in favor of being able to buy a hot dog after an all-day or all-weekend event. And some were quick to joke about the horde of vendors, likening it to zombies in The Walking Dead.

"Because God forbid they feed people for less," one user commented.

Another wrote, "They did this at Rolling Loud. I bought some hot dogs, like they be hitting after a concert. Y'all are so dramatic for nothing, like they ain't finna hurt you, and if you can't pay, don't get one, lol brokey."

This isn't the first time hot dog vendors were spotted setting up shop outside of Coachella. In 2024, a user on Reddit shared an image of vendors lined up and ready to sell to Coachella attendees. They wrote, "Loved the insanity of the hotdog vendors and security each night on the walk back to the shuttles…"

Even then, most users on social media were in favor of hot dog vendors taking advantage of a business opportunity. One user even commented to say that they are vegetarian, but the smell of the vendors' hot dogs had them wishing for one. Apparently, no matter what your diet is, the hot dog vendors outside of Coachella know what they're doing.