Festivals now offer an opportunity that captivates the full attention, time and savings of their patrons – reinventing the occasion from a typical live music event to a global affair.
Since the infamous Woodstock, music festivals never quite lost their enticing flare, but with advanced technology, festivals have become more prominent and more extravagant than ever before.
What exactly attracts thousands of people to travel hours from their homes to spend hundreds of dollars on a wristband for only a few days?
Anti-festival goers like to claim these three- or four-day events are nothing more than drug-infested parties, having nothing to do with music.
But those critics clearly haven’t been to Coachella Valley Music and Arts or even Lollapalooza – some of the highest-grossing festivals of 2016.
The elements of perfect sound, mouthwatering food stands and Instagram-worthy attire combine to create the energetic atmosphere that makes these festivals so addicting.
The Music
Reinstating the obvious, these shows attract festival-goers through their main attraction – the lineup.
“What’s always key for festivals, it goes without saying, is having the right artists,” AEG’s Will Dowdy said.
Promoters and sponsors of these festivals however, have completely revamped their list of names for each festival as the event becomes larger with popularity.
With more popularity, the festival can provide thus more popular names which then attracts more attention.
The Food
After all, food is the way to a person’s heart, so what better way to create an atmosphere than by adding the trendiest, finger-licking nourishment to the campgrounds?
From the annually sold-out Coachella’s celebrity chef pop-ups to Panorama’s beverages served in an actual pineapple, music festivals offer a variety of eclectic, exclusive options where some would never be able to try anywhere else.
From the standpoint of the hosting city- music festivals additionally provide the opportunity for locally-grown food and hidden joints to be displayed.
The Promotion
The power that social media has through promoting, marketing, and posting, contributes the majority of the success to these festivals.
As big-named brands and corporations realize the type of attention and popularity that especially millennials give to these festivals- the more they want their name represented at these shows.
“When you get results like 74 percent of people coming away from BST saying our partner space has actually improved their experience then those numbers speak for themselves,” AEG’s Will Dowdy said, “it tells you what a huge opportunity music festivals can provide for brands looking to engage with young people beyond advertising.”
Therefore, they succumb and become more invested, which helps create an even grander experience.
The Fashion
Flower crowns, John Lennon-inspired glasses and light-up shoes are just some of the unique trends that come to mind when thinking about what fans wear to these events.
Festivals allow unlimited space for expression and appreciation of the arts, thus granting festies access from the most simplistic to eclectic outfit choices.
A-list celebrities wait just as eagerly as others do to flaunt their festival-attire such as Vanessa Hudgens becoming one of the ultimate style gurus of Coachella 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The Experience
Promoters have eliminated the simple idea of an outdoor concert to paying attention to what attracts music festival audiences.
Music, although projected as the main event, is not the only attraction that draws in customers.
In most recent festivals, installations were made to emphasize each wristband-purchaser’s own experience through providing alternative spots other than stages and influence of art.
The everlasting hype of these shows would be nothing without proper detail of stage placement, lighting and sound.
“New media, computational art, and music have just naturally started colliding,” founder of Day for Night Festival Omar Afra told Pitchfork. “As people have started using them in more artistic ways, those lines as to what’s an art installation and what’s a concert environment are starting to blur.”
by Melissa Boehme
CougarBuzz 