Starbucks Is Bringing Back Its Viral Unicorn Frappuccino—But There’s a Catch

Do you like your food to feel a little, shall we say, dynamic? Then you’re going to love the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino. This iced drink made a stir back in 2017 when it hit stores, for the sheer fact that it could change color while you were drinking it. It was…alive. And vaguely spooky, and by all accounts, seriously annoying to make.

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Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino was only around for the briefest of moments, but it lives long in the memory of people who tried it. Now, it’s back – but unless you have a Coachella ticket, you’re going to be disappointed, as it’s only going to be available at the festival. Boooooo. Here’s what we know.

Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino: Catch It in the Wild, if You Can

The Unicorn Frappuccino returns by virtue of Starbucks joining Coachella as an official sponsor for the first time, through which it will have a prominent presence at the festival and, it hopes, give people a chance to take a breather from all the dancing. “Music has always been a powerful connector at Starbucks, and Coachella brings people together through music, creativity and self-expression,” said Starbucks senior vice president of global marketing, Erin Silvoy, in a press release. “We’re excited to make our Coachella debut in a way that feels authentic to who we are, creating welcoming spaces where people can pause, connect and enjoy great coffee while being part of the music that brings everyone together.”

Starbucks clearly knew that it needed a splashy drink to make its first official appearance at the festival with – and so it picked its color-changing frappuccino, back for the first time in almost a decade. The Unicorn Frappuccino will be available (and complimentary, people!) for just a few hours on both festival weekends at the Starbucks Coffeehouse stand, alongside other complimentary drinks like its Cold Brew, Iced Matcha Latte (one of its new secret drinks) and Strawberry Acai Refresher. You can also grab other Starbucks drinks at concession stands around the festival.

And…What Is This Drink?

We’re glad you asked. Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino is, we must say, a little intense-sounding: It’s a creme Frappuccino with mango syrup and a blue drizzle, topped with vanilla whipped cream, a sweet pink powder, and another topping of pink and blue powder to finish it off. When you stir the drink with your straw, it turns from purple to pink. Just like magic.

How did it taste? Apparently, it wasn’t great. Over on Instagram, news of the drink’s return was greeted with comments saying how terrible it was and how much of a nightmare it was to put together. “It was HORRIBLE. And a nightmare to make. They only provided one packet of blue drizzle for the event at the cafe I was working at,” stated one ex-barista in response to its announcement. “Hopefully they make sure baristas can actually make the Frappuccino look like the photo this time.” We hope so, too: Starbucks doesn’t want a festival-themed controversy on its hands. We all learned from Fyre, right?