Halloween night in the hills above Los Angeles hits different when you celebrate it with Pillow Talk and Kirgo. Collabing for their second annual Halloween Festival brought together 3,000 guests for what’s cementing itself as the place to be on Halloween. No public tickets. No walk-ups. Just an invite list that read like a cross-section of internet culture, music, and content creation.
Ryan Pownall, whose Pillow Talk podcast pulls 250 million monthly views, partnered with gaming brand Kirgo and producer Liam Riley to create an event that has decimating social pull in a city where social pull is as good as gold.
No traditional promotion. No press releases. Just organic anticipation building for weeks across podcasts, streams, and group chats with the sexiest and most popular people in LA.
The mansion featured three distinct stages: the Fat Bear EDM Stage, the TXT BMX Arena, and the Kirgo × PillowTalk Performance Stage. Production included BMX riders launching off custom-built ramps, stilt dancers moving through the crowd, and fog machines creating atmosphere across multiple garden levels. Bandero Tequila handled beverage sponsorship, integrated into the event without overwhelming it. The focus stayed on the experience—lighting design that shifted with each performance, sound systems calibrated for each space, and enough room for 3,000 people to move between stages without feeling cramped.
The attendee roster explained why the event generated so much buzz. Jeane Marie, the Lebanese-Brazilian Kick streamer with 35 million live views, made an appearance. Snoop Dogg showed up. iLoveMakonnen performed “Tuesday.” Famous Dex moved through the crowd. Charly Jordan headlined the Fat Bear Stage at 1:30 AM. But the best part was the mixed and curated crowd. Content creators with 50,000 followers stood next to artists with platinum records. Crypto founders talked to BMX riders. Everyone is hot, fun, talented, or successful, and often all of the above.
Most festival experiences are either exclusive or accessible, intimate or massive. The event feels like a raucous party and a music festival with 3,000 attendees across a sprawling estate, guests could have close encounters with performers while still feeling the energy of a major event. Los Angeles has no shortage of Halloween parties. What it doesn’t have many of is events that feel both culturally relevant and genuinely exclusive. Not because of ticket prices, but because of who’s actually there. The PillowTalk × Kirgo festival made a case for how nightlife can evolve when you stop thinking about demographics and start thinking about communities. When the guests themselves become the attraction. When documentation is built into the experience instead of banned at the door.
Good job PillowTalk and Kirgo, we’re all waiting to see what you do next and we’re all hoping we can get on the list for it.
