Olivia Rodrigo’s star-studded festival turns into traffic nightmare at huge California park: ‘Absolute sh–t show’

Olivia Rodrigo’s star-studded new festival earned rave reviews for what happened on stage — but getting out was a show of its own.

Some 45,000 concertgoers packed Irvine’s Great Park for the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival on Saturday, with many blasting authorities over a post-traffic meltdown that allegedly left attendees trapped in parking lots, wandering miles in search of rides and even taking traffic control into their own hands.

The sold out Aug. 29 bash was one of the largest events ever staged at the sprawling Orange County park, with an all female lineup assembled by Rodrigo that included Stevie Nicks, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Bikini Kill, Sarah McLachlan, The Breeders, a surprise appearance from Alanis Morissette, and others.

“Leaving was an absolute sh-t show,” one attendee fumed on a Reddit after the one-day festival. The concertgoer claims there was “zero signage” directing people toward the satellite rideshare lot, which was roughly two miles from the festival exit, and alleged that Great Park Boulevard was closed off, cutting access to the primary rideshare lot. “People were stuck for hours,” they claimed.

The chaotic exit quickly became fodder on social media.

LA music media outlet Grimy Goods posted a video on Instagram rating the Daisy Chain Fields experience — giving the festival a “10/10” and awarding the parking an abysmal “0/10.” The clip showed a woman in a yellow dress apparently attempting at directing snarled traffic herself.

Other festivalgoers flooded Daisy Chain Fields’ own Instagram with complaints.

“Absolutely horrendous traffic control,” one commenter wrote, claiming she saw many girls walking for miles trying to meet their parents who had come to pick them up. “Police were not kind, and any staff available didn’t know what was doing on. Such a beautiful festival, but the parking was horrible. Such a great lineup, so fun, but extremely unacceptable traffic control.”

“Cute fest but worst exit experience I’ve ever had in 100s of fests,” another complained, urging organizers to move it to the Rose Bowl next year and “get us out of suburban hell with no transit.”

The transportation headache came despite elaborate plans to move tens of thousands of people in and out of a park that does not normally host concerts of that scale. There were limited on-site vehicle spots, and parking passes were required in advance and sold out before the festival. Organizers also offered paid shuttles services for those parking at UC Irvine and the OCVIBE area near the Honda Center, and the Irvine Police Department assured the public that “a strong police presence in the area controlling traffic and parking.”

But numerous attendees said the carefully mapped-out transportation plan seemed to fall apart after Rodrigo’s final notes.

One Redditor reported “zero rideshare options,” and ultimately had to walk two miles home to Portola Springs. “You can’t rely on there being enough drivers in the area to support that many people,” they said. Another nearby resident said their group ended up having to trek five miles home to Quail Hill.

Parents picking up younger festivalgoers reported their own nightmare, with some claiming road closures made the designated pickup area nearly impossible to reach.

Other fans pushed back though, and said that when tens of thousands of people descend on one place, traffic issues come with the territory. “If that’s your only complaint, sounds like a success to me,” one person replied to the overwhelming negative comments about transportation. “Festivals rarely get it perfect on the first go.”

While the music and the celebratory girl power vibes drew rave reviews, the consensus on ground transit was unanimous: Irvine simply wasn’t prepared for the rush of 45,000 pop fans trying to get home.

The 1,300-acre Great Park in Irvine is a $1 billion mega-project, undergoing a massive overhaul that city leaders hope will turn the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into Southern California’s next major entertainment and tourism hub.

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