Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival faces vendor claims over fees, planning and unpaid wages
Food vendors claim they experienced financial losses, poor planning and difficult working conditions at the event
Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival is facing criticism from food vendors who claim they experienced financial losses, poor planning and difficult working conditions at the event.
The inaugural festival took place on August 29 at Great Park in Irvine, California, with performances from Rodrigo, Bikini Kill, Garbage, Chappell Roan and Doechii.
The event raised $10 million for non-profit organisations, with Melinda Gates matching the amount to bring total donations to $20 million.
Ugly Oats Kitchen owner Mary Chacon said the festival presented an “enormous financial risk” for vendors. She claimed organisers charged about $1,400 in fees and took 35% of sales.
Chacon also alleged vendors were told they could face fines if they ran out of food, while some key setup information arrived “until a few hours before” the event.
She said one member of her team suffered heat exhaustion and struggled to find food, while vendors were effectively stranded at their booths.
“We wanted to send her home, but the staff lot was a two-mile walk from our booth. Most of the vendors were essentially stranded at our booths until 1:00AM,” Chacon said.
Another business, Por Suerte Cookies, said it suffered a “financial loss” and “barely sold anything”. The company also said it was “still waiting to be paid”, adding, “After everything we spent to participate, we have still not received what we are owed for the event.”
Rodrigo, Daisy Chain Fields and DLS Events have not publicly responded to the claims.
The festival also received positive critical attention for its charitable goals and all-female line-up, highlighting the contrasting reports surrounding its debut.
