‘Adrian’s Kickback’ TikTok Party Deteriorates Into Unlawful Assembly, Curfew Declared – 149 Arrested

Bruce Haring
·4 min read

Adrian’s Kickback, the impromptu birthday party organized in Huntington Beach, California via TikTok and other online sites that went massively viral, deteriorated into a small-scale riot on Saturday night.

Police declared an “unlawful assembly” late on Saturday “due to unruly crowds” and imposed an emergency curfew from 11:30 PM for all individuals within the area of Beach Boulevard to Goldenwest and Pacific Coast Highway to Yorktown in Huntington Beach. Police from jurisdictions throughout Orange County were called out to control the crowds, estimated in the thousands.

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ABC-7 reported that “nearly 150 people” were arrested. Attendees threw rocks and bottles at police and shot off fireworks. The arrested were charged with various counts, including vandalism, curfew violations and failure to disperse. At least one police car had its windows busted, and downtown businesses and beach guard towers were vandalized.

The gathering, originally scheduled for Saturday night, turned into a two-day affair when several thousand party-seekers showed up on Friday night in the beach area to pre-game the event. At least a thousand attendees were at both nights.

Most of the revelers merely enjoyed being in a large, post-pandemic gathering of peers. But soon, a few began confronting a large police presence in the area, setting off fireworks. A few bottles were reportedly thrown at the police, increasing the tensions.

Authorities finally began to disperse the crown when some climbed on top of beach lifeguard towers and increased the use of fireworks, the Orange County Register reported. Pepper balls and tear gas were deployed in some cases.

EARLIER: Huntington Beach, California is bracing for what could be the TikTok Woodstock.

An online post on TikTok has gone viral, promoting a birthday party called Adrian’s Kickback, set for Saturday night in the usually sleepy beach town. The party takes its name from a song by Adrian Hour, an Argentinian DJ and music producer.

So far, the post has generated more than 3 million views, and the chatter of who’s going, how to get there, and music videos created in support of the event are mushrooming.

The online chatter has caught the eye of authorities in Huntington Beach.

“We are actively monitoring multiple social media posts advertising a large gathering on the beach this weekend,” the Huntington Beach police posted on Twitter. “The safety & well-being of our residents, visitors, businesses & motorists is paramount, which is why the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBP) .is 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.

The beach party can be traced back to a video that was posted on May 19 by the TikTok page adrian.lopez517, Adrian Lopez. The caption says, “pop out n celebrate my bday‼️‼️‼️ #partynextdoor #turnitup #SpotlightAPI #beach #projectx #function.”

The video shows a dancing scene and says the party will take place at Huntington Beach at the firepits with a 7:30 PM start. “BYOE!! Repost!!” the video caption says.

As of this writing, it is unclear who “Adrian” actually is, and several people have tried to claim the mantle.

Tom Tapp and Jace Haring contributed to this report

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