'Adrian's Kickback': 149 Arrested In CA TikTok-Spurred Party

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — A viral social media phenomenon prompted thousands to storm Huntington Beach on Saturday night for the rumored and widely shared "Adrian's Kickback" party, which originated on TikTok.

Nearly 150 people were arrested at the Huntington Beach Pier and emergency responders received several medical calls after the poorly planned pop-up party turned disastrous. Police used less-lethal weapons to disperse a crowd estimated at more than 2,500.

What began as a spontaneous callout on TikTok — for virtually anyone and everyone — to attend the birthday party of someone named "Adrian," quickly spiraled into a social media movement. Posts and memes quickly migrated to Instagram and Twitter last week, where more people spread the word about the rumored "party of the year."

One partygoer told the New York Times: "It's the first lit party since COVID."

The original post from user adrian.lopez517, which was his first video, has since been deleted. In his video, the user invited people to show up to his beach bonfire at 7:30 p.m. — and BYOE (bring your own everything).

"Pop out 'n celebrate my bday," the user wrote in a caption. The hashtag "AdriansKickBack" received more than 180 million views on TikTok.

Of those arrested, 121 were adults and 28 were juveniles, according to Jennifer Carey, public information officer for the HBPD. They were booked on a variety of charges including vandalism, the firing of illegal fireworks, failure to disperse, and curfew violations, she said.

The Huntington Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to Patch to confirm how many people were injured during the massive party.

Footage on social media showed thousands of people piled on the Huntington Beach pier and scattered throughout the beach. Crowds were seen dancing, taking videos and launching fireworks.

Multiple downtown businesses, numerous police vehicles and a lifeguard tower were damaged, but no significant injuries were reported, Carey said.

As the Saturday gathering grew in number and rowdiness, more than 150 officers from agencies throughout Orange County were deployed to Huntington Beach under a pre-arranged request for assistance.

An emergency curfew was triggered at 11:30 p.m. Saturday through 5:30 a.m. Sunday for all individuals in the vicinity of Beach Boulevard to Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway to Yorktown Avenue, police said.

The crowd, many from outside the Huntington Beach area, began to gather at 6:30 p.m. Saturday around a lifeguard tower.

Footage on social media showed the crowds dancing, taking videos, and launching fireworks. Laughter and screams can be heard in the background.

Police officers in riot helmets and armed with batons surrounded the crowd and began to break up the gathering after the fireworks were used, various media reported.

Social media videos showed objects being thrown at officers, people jumping on top of cars and celebrating on the street in downtown Huntington Beach.
There was a report of a bomb threat but no bomb was found. Meanwhile, a police cruiser had a window shattered, possibly due to fireworks, ABC7 reported.

Earlier in Huntington Beach - Adrians Kickback TikTok Party attended by thousands of juvenile delinquents pic.twitter.com/nGT0caj8bz
— Thomas Kellogg (@oldnickels) May 23, 2021

Huntington Beach police were aware of the potential gathering ahead of Saturday, and tweeted early Saturday, warning the public of the party.

"As is the case with ALL large gatherings in #HuntingtonBeach, we have taken steps to prepare for a potential increase in visitors this weekend due to a promoted gathering that has received significant interest on social media," officials said.

The department said that there should be no alcohol or drug use on the beach and no fireworks, and noted it was "taking significant steps to prepare for the potential influx of visitors, including working closely with our regional public safety partners. Toward that end, the HBPD will also be strictly enforcing all applicable laws & ordinances throughout the weekend."

Videos from the scene late Saturday showed throngs of people leaving the beach in response to police requests.

The City News Service, the Associated Press and Patch staffer Kat Schuster contributed to this report.