Brittany Pigeon’s son Kylo has been attending music festivals since before he could talk — literally. He was just 4 months old at his first one, tucked into a carrier as the crowd danced around him.

But everything changed after a recent festival headlined by Oliver Tree. It was the first time Kylo, now old enough to understand what was happening, truly connected with the experience. Ever since, Pigeon says, he hasn’t stopped talking about it.

Soon after, a joke between Pigeon and her husband — who works in the event and production industry — about their son’s nickname, “Kai,” sounding like “Coachella” sparked a bigger idea. What began as a playful comment, Kaichella, quickly snowballed into a full-blown theme they realized they could bring to life for his 4th birthday party.

“I’ve always loved themed parties ever since my kids were born — even with my baby showers. I have thrown my own themed parties for myself because I loved doing it so much and I’ve always had ideas,” Pigeon, who also shares a 2-year-old daughter with her husband, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“But Kaichella was on a completely different level,” says the Florida-based lifestyle and family content creator. “This was definitely my most ambitious, over-the-top party.”

The Coachella-inspired concept had been sitting in the back of their minds for at least a year. Pigeon, 30, planned in short bursts “for about two months here and there,” but admits “the real grind happened in the last two weeks.”

She handled most of the decorating, DIYs and creative direction herself, while her husband built the backbone of their backyard festival — planning, rendering and constructing the stage and shade structure complete with truss, lights, an LED wall, lasers and sound.

Her brothers also pitched in, helping bring the vision to life with merch stations, concession stands and a slushee bar. Pigeon crafted a photo-booth backdrop out of foam boards from Lowe’s and Home Depot, cutting Coachella-style shapes with a hot knife. She also designed VIP passes and wristbands using a graphic from Etsy, and then — with her mom — laminated and assembled each one by hand.

“The most time-consuming thing was printing, laminating and writing everyone’s names for the VIP passes,” she says. “My mom ended up taking over putting the button clasps on so I could focus on other things that needed to be done. We actually stayed up until 12 a.m. that night — a few days before the party.”

Her husband’s biggest challenge, she adds, was designing a site layout that captured real festival energy while still being functional — and safe — for a young children’s birthday party.

When the day finally arrived, Pigeon says everyone was all hands on deck. The party started at 4 p.m., and they began setting up at 8 a.m. — six hours of nonstop work.

“It’s crazy because I actually had an hour and a half of free time before the party started to get everyone ready, take some pictures AND chill before everyone arrived,” she says. “Which NEVER happens. Usually I’m rushing around and not fully ready.”

Despite how elaborate it looked, Pigeon says the process felt surprisingly natural.

“Honestly, the whole party was pretty easy to us — but I know it’s pretty unattainable for most,” she says. “My husband is really good at what he does so it comes easy and naturally for him, and I’ve been planning parties since my kids were born, and my brain is always flowing with ideas.”

Kylo, meanwhile, was fully immersed in the mini-festival experience.

Once the party kicked off, she says, her son and the guests rotated between the bracelet-making station, the merch booth and glow-stick dancing to Danny Go — but, she says, “the stage was the star of the show.”

“He ran right up to the stage, asking if his dad could put on his favorite song!” Pigeon recalls. “He and his sister jumped around and danced while we finished setting up.”

For Pigeon, that’s exactly what she hoped for.

“For me, it’s about creating core memories,” she says. “My kids won’t remember every detail, but they will remember the feeling, the magic, the joy, the excitement.”

“We have a ton of videos and pictures to look back on,” she adds. “That’s one thing I always try to budget for — a good photographer — because I like to enjoy the moment with my kids rather than stress about capturing it myself.”

After sharing the party on TikTok — where the video went viral, amassing nearly 1.8 million views — Pigeon also opened up about the budget behind the production.

She laughs that budgeting “is not either of our strong suits,” but says planning ahead helped spread out costs. And because the family already owned the stage gear, lighting and LED wall, her out-of-pocket spending was relatively low: around $600–$1,000 for décor, supplies, treats and small rentals.

The final result, she says, looked like a $10,000-plus production — but thanks to DIY, repurposing and industry know-how, the actual cost was just a fraction of that.

“It’s been overwhelming for sure, but the reactions were pretty surprising to me,” the mom says. “I thought people would view it more as a mom and dad that loves to go all out for their kids, make them happy and memories, but it ended up being like the complete opposite.”

“But there has been positive too, like people saying I inspired them, and they want it as their party,” she continues. “Some even said it looked better than the actual Coachella, which was such a compliment in my book!”

Looking ahead, the creator says she’s not focused on topping herself — just on creating whatever feels right for her kids each year.

“I would love to redo the party again whenever he [turns anywhere from] 16 to 18. But honestly, it’s not about going bigger, it’s about making magic for my kids in whatever way feels right next year and what they want! If he wants to do a vacation, we’ll take a vacation, and if he wants a big party instead, that’s what we will do!”

She also shares advice for parents hoping to pull off a special celebration of their own: start with one big focal point, DIY as much as possible, repurpose items from around the house and remember that kids care far more about fun than perfection.

“You can do a lot with what you have!” she notes. Planning early, she adds, also helps spread out costs.