Find out what Los Angeles hotel veteran Brent Bolthouse is planning for the post-pandemic era.
Coachella is done for another year. Bars and restaurants are slowly coming back to life. The event industry could be changed forever. But Los Angeles restaurateur and nightlife veteran Brent Bolthouse sees an opportunity. His flagship desert party, Neon Carnival, is cancelled this year, but he and his restaurant partner Michael Mina will move forward.
"God only knows what events will look like in the next couple of years," he says. But the flexibility he showed during the pandemic allowed him and chef Michael Mina to bring their latest concept to life, albeit with a bit of a twist.
"I still call it a beautiful disaster," Bolthouse says. "So many things worked well in the pivot, that even if we had planned it, it wouldn't have worked as well," he continues. "So I think the universe was on our side."
Bungalow Kitchen: Social catering becomes the new nightlife
The concept - a gourmet version of The Bungalow, Bolthouse's family of bohemian waterfront lounges - didn't start out as such. Mina was committed to creating a casual menu of bar bites. "Pizzas, tacos, munchies," Bolthouse says, "no lobster pot pie." But as a wave of partial reopenings and stop-and-go departures hit the area, it became clear that the status quo wasn't going to work for the new hotel landscape
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"Obviously, in October, there was no vaccine, no hope in sight. The world was not going in the right direction, at least as far as the hotel business was concerned," he says. "I had a conversation with Michael and said, 'Bars aren't going to survive. Not in today's climate."
What came out of the team's recalibration was a concept they call social dining - part nightlife, part restaurant. "Maybe we could call it Bungalow Kitchen," he recalls, "and take all the things that people like about Bungalow, which is late night and entertainment." While not a nightlife venue per se, Bolthouse thinks the concept is a happy medium, perfect for the current climate.
"Coming out of this post-pandemic world, maybe you won't go back to a nightclub right away. But I would love to go to a restaurant," he says. "And they have a DJ. And the energy goes up. And we leave at 12:30 a.m. And we just had a great dinner." For Bolthouse, like many, it's still a matter of choosing what to go out to. "Do I want a Michelin restaurant or a fun restaurant?" he asks. "Right now, I favor fun."
Photo by @dwvarley
Beyond 4 Boxes: Corporate events and neon carnival
Photo by @dwvarley
Speaking of fun, Bolthouse has been in the business since the 1980s. He started as a nightclub promoter in Los Angeles and fell into event production almost by accident. He's thrown parties for HBO, Maxim and Janet Jackson, and knows there's an art to creating the right atmosphere.
"I've been to events all over the world, and I'm like, 'They've got money, there's some pretty girls here. Some celebrities. ' But no one has really organized themselves to make the event fun," he says, "It's like a business event."
"We've always looked at it differently in terms of how to make the experience enjoyable for those in attendance," Bolthouse says. "It's not just about four boxes. Sometimes event organizers only think about the four boxes. And that's important, but only to a certain extent."
A private event for Six Flags galvanized his idea that events should be, well, eventful. They closed the park, and Bolthouse invited 500 Hollywood friends to partake in free food, drinks and rides
"It was one of the most fun parties we've ever had in our lives," he recalls. "Gwen Stefani was running down Magic Mountain and clapping my hands and saying, 'This is the best day of my life! I haven't been able to go to Magic Mountain since I was a teenager. For real - she can't go."
Bolthouse built on this concept a few years later, creating the unofficial Coachella afterparty. "Oh my gosh, we have to do an adult carnival," he recalls. "The idea came to me from that party." Although not affiliated with Coachella, images of the Neon Carnival have become almost synonymous with the star-studded festival located near Palm Springs. Bolthouse, who grew up in nearby Joshua Tree, has built a small local reputation as a result.
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"I mean, we got 24 billion media impressions the last year we did it," notes Bolthouse. "What? Is that really a thing?" he wonders. "That's what I told the PR team. I told them, 'Don't lie.'"
Whatever the future holds for Neon Carnival, it's a wild and bright ride. "I'm always, every year, grateful and shocked that we came out of this landscape - with some of the biggest brands in the world - and threw the best party at Coachella," he says. "And it ended, it ended on the best note."
Bring it home: Neon Carnival-inspired neon lights
You may have missed the desert party this year, but that doesn't mean you can't channel those Indio vibes. Grab one of these neon lights and create your own oasis at home. If you're ready to get even more meta, customize one!