How viral events are being shut down because Gen Z who can't bear to miss out come flocking for social media content (and make them 'hellish!')

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What do Hailey Bieber's Rhode Beauty, Everyman Cinemas and Columbia Road in East London have in common?

Over the past six months, they've all hosted small events that have inadvertently set the internet alight - and become social media fodder for Gen Zs chasing TikTok views. 

Last weekend, Rhode Beauty - which was founded by Justin Bieber's wife in 2022 - hosted a pop-up in London, where fans could snap up one of their best-selling Peptide Lip Treatments for free.

However, the pink photobooth proved to be so popular that members of the public had to queue for seven hours.

Meanwhile, hundreds of TikTok vlogs from the pop-up, which was in Marylebone for one day only, have amassed millions of views on the video-sharing app.

Pictured: TikTok user Sarah queued for seven hours to get a free Rhode by Hailey Bieber lip balm over the weekend

The pink photobooth (pictured) proved to be so popular that members of the public had to queue for seven hour

What's more, Everyman Cinema has also brought back its Outdoor Cinema this summer - where the UK chain screens a series of popular films on the canal in Kings Cross.

After videos from the event went viral on TikTok, organisers had to cancel a screening of Mamma Mia last week after too many people turned up. 

At the end of 2023, organisers of Columbia Road Christmas Carol Service had to cancel their weekly event when a dangerous number of people arrived wanting to take part - having seen the festive event on TikTok.

Venting her frustration with the trend, Devhuti Narshi, from London, said in her own viral video: 'Any [event] that seems good gets shared on TikTok, every single person FLOCKS to it.'

Here FEMAIL reveals how social media users are 'ruining' low-key events by chasing trends.

Rhode Pop-Up 

Last weekend, TikTok user Sara filmed herself visiting the Rhode pop-up in London and detailed how she arrived at 10:15am in the morning. 

She jokingly captioned the video: 'Watch me wait seven hours for a free Rhode lip balm.'

After arriving in Marylebone at 10:15am, Sara and her friend didn't reach the Rhode photobooth until gone 5pm

The video - which has amassed over 1.1m views and 140k 'likes - shows Sara and a friend receiving a bracelet to mark their place in the queue, which took them seven hours to get through.

At times, Sara said the seemingly never-ending queue wouldn't move for an hour at a time and they were thankful that a local cafe let them sit on their outdoor chairs.

Four hours into the queue, Sara said the 'regret started kicking in' but they persevered nonetheless. 

The TikToker raged: 'Turns out, they were letting influencers in whenever they  wanted... hence delaying everyone waiting in line. Loved that!!!'

Over seven hours later, Sara finally got into the photobooth - and people in the comments were baffled why they chose to wait so long.

People in the comments of Sara's viral video were baffled why her and her friend chose to wait so long

One wrote: 'Seriously, in seven hours you could just work and earn a paycheck and just buy whatever Rhode thing you want.'

Another added: 'Girl, the balms are fine but not seven hours outside worthy.'

Sara replied to this viewer: 'No 100% agree!' 

'No way Rhode is THAT GOOD,' a third said.

'It's not,' Sara added. 

Everyman's Outdoor Cinema

Pictured: Influencer Sophie Milner, who vlogged her 'hellish' experience at Everyman's Outdoor Cinema in King's Cross

What's more, Everyman's Outdoor Cinema has also become increasingly popular this summer thanks to TikToks going viral.

Influencer Sophie Milner vlogged her 'hellish' experience of the day out with friends and joked: 'If you're thinking of doing Everyman Cinema at Regents Canal... don't.' 

The social media star - who boasts 55,000 followers - claims she got there 90 minutes before Dirty Dancing began and people were pushing into the front of the queue.

After they'd made it in, Sophie says it was 'absolutely heaving' and added: 'I felt sorry for the security guards, nobody had any idea it would be THIS popular.'

She explained: 'So many people came, the security couldn't control it so they full turned off the film lol.'

As there were too many people, Sophie claims the organisers cancelled the showing of Mamma Mia that evening. 

She concluded the video by writing: 'They said they'd play Mamma Mia if they cleared the canal paths and people behaved but we left because honestly, it was HELL.' 

After they'd made it in, Sophie says it was 'absolutely heaving' and added: 'I felt sorry for the security guards, nobody had any idea it would be THIS popular'

TikToker Karen shared a clip of the crowds around the outdoor cinema and wrote: 'Can't do anything when London is sunny'

On Sunday, TikToker Selma also posted a video of the queue to get to the canal, which had hundreds of people in it.

She jokingly captioned the clip: 'My advice if you're planning a trip here... don't.'

Meanwhile, TikToker Karen shared a clip of the crowds around the outdoor cinema and wrote: 'Can't do anything when London is sunny.'

The video has amassed over 14,000 'likes' and left viewers similarly enraged.

One wrote: 'TikTok keeps ruining these spots - like the Columbia Road carols.'

Another added: 'They used to show films like this near Tower Bridge each summer and it was never that busy, I blame the TikTok FOMO [fear of missing out] effect.'

'I remember when you could just sit here if you wanted to and watch the film,' a third said. 'I'm shocked this is the state of it now.'  

Columbia Road Christmas Carol Service 

Visitors posted videos of the hoards of people, saying it was a 'disaster waiting to happen'

In December 2023, Columbia Road's weekly Christmas Carol Service had to be cancelled as a result of overcrowding.

Before it was axed, up to 7,000 people turned up to the last event in in Bethnal Green - prompting organisers to cancel it over fears for public safety. 

Footage uploaded to TikTok the final event show massive crowds enjoying the festive singalong, which saw the local vicar wheeling a piano down the street to accompany carolers. 

Some who attended said they were 'packed in like sardines' and feared it was a 'disaster waiting to happen', while locals blamed the 'dangerous' overcrowding on the event being advertised on social media. 

In a statement, they said: 'With regret we formally announce that carols will not be taking place on Wednesday 13th and 20th December on Columbia Road this year.

'The crowds of over 7,000 present last week were of such volume on the road that there was a danger to public safety.

'We are grateful to God and to those working at the event that there were no serious injuries.'

In her video earlier this week, TikToker Devhuti Narshi said the carol service used to be 'chill' but said the TikTok effect made it feel 'claustrophobic'. 

Agreeing with her point, one viewer added: 'When I see places on TikTok, I already know I'm too late.'

Another added: 'I'm born and raised in London and in my opinion, the city is now just so overcrowded that every single thing and event just has too many people - especially when things go viral.' 

A third raged: 'Local area events don't exist anymore or people won't go to them. People want to go see the trendy thing in the big town over going to a local event or the government has cut funding to that area.' 

Hitchin Lavender Farm

Earlier this month, Hitchin Lavender in Hertfordshire also shared the downsides of going viral on TikTok and slammed the influx of visitors they'd had.

TikTok users Elena Dinca filmed herself lying down in the field in Hitchin

Hitchin Lavender in Hertfordshire shared a video to Facebook showing how plants have been destroyed by visitors who sat or laid down in the fields (pictured)

The organisation shared a video to Facebook showing how plants  have been destroyed by visitors who sat or laid down in the fields.

In the emotional post, the farm said that plants that take '10 years to grow' are being destroyed in '10 seconds' by people hoping to get the perfect selfie on the farm.

'Please don't kill our lavender! Didn't enjoy making this video but important to share.

'Lavenders take years to mature. In 10 seconds hundreds of our bushes (the majority of which are between 10 and 25 years old) are being killed by some visitors wanting to sit on them..?

'Our lavenders are habitat to bees, butterflies, moths, skylarks, spiders, mice, hares, game birds and a huge array of small bugs. Many more animals feed off these creatures such as swallows, red kites, buzzards, foxes etc.

'So please refrain from destroying their home and for for ruining the views for your fellow visitors to enjoy,' they wrote.

Speaking in the video, a staff member explained there is 'plenty of space' to walk between the rows of beds.

'I wanted to share with you how beautiful the lavender is looking right now.

'My only request is that you refrain from sitting and destroying the habitat for many creatures and the beauty for many visitors who come to see the lavender.

'It's taken about 10 years for the lavender to look how it does, only for a plant to be destroyed - and there are many - for just a few seconds, to take photos on.

'There is plenty of space to walk between the rows. We would hate to close, or reduced numbers'. 

On Instagram, there are thousands of posts of influencers lying in the Hertfordshire field.

Speaking to the BBC,  Director Tim Hunter said that people visiting 'take that photo-op a bit too far'.

'I think they're looking for different pictures so they actually want to lie in the lavender itself without actually knowing they're destroying it at the same time, which is a bit of a shame,' 

'We get more popular each year, which is great, as people take their pictures,' he said.

TikTok is full of clips of people running through lavender fields, Pooja Bera is pictured in Hitchin

'To destroy it for a 10 second photo is a bit of a shame.'

Photos show influencers travelling to the farm from as far as Australia, taking props including dozens of balloons to pose up a storm.

One travel blogger wrote that she's  'been photographing different angles recently' as she shared a snap lying in the field.

'I was getting in a habit of just standing in front of locations and I thought I could actually do something more unique,' she said.