5 Simple Ways to Improve the Average Festival Experience
Music festivals are a bit of a no-brainer for live music fans. Getting to see a ton of bands for a mostly reasonable price? What's not to love?
Photo by Marc Brubaker Free ice would be nice too. Just saying.
Well, a few things, if we're being honest.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of little things that have happened over the last few years have made the festival experience better. Vendors taking credit cards, more food options, and VIP ticketing levels are all things I appreciate.
There are certain things promoters can't control -- the weather, how late the shows can go on, jerks in the crowd -- but there are little things they can do to make it better for everyone. Here are five suggestions for future festival promoters looking to take their show to the next level.
5. Make the Most of Social Media
Lollapalooza with a good example of social media usage.
Most fests are really good at pimping their show on Facebook and Twitter. In the lead-up to the event, followers are blasted with countless countdowns and retweets of people excited to head to the show. Then the festival actually starts and many of these accounts go dead or just switch over to posting Instagram photos.
It would be great if they'd be more active with actual information. Ever been at a show where a band was running late? Wouldn't it be great if someone let you know what was up so you could adjust your plans accordingly? That's one of many different ways fests could use social media in an active way.
4. More Waste Disposal Options
Photo by Cory Garcia Litterbugs just waiting to happen.
While I don't live the greenest life, I try and do my part to look out for the Earth. One of the more disappointing things about a lot of fests is the amount of litter that covers the grounds. While it's great that more fests are putting down the money to hire people to make an active effort to collect trash throughout the day, as opposed to waiting until after the show is over, simply adding a few more trash cans and recycling bins wouldn't hurt.
I'm not foolish enough to believe that their presence would make people less lazy, but on the whole I think it would reduce at least a little bit of the waste on the ground. As a bonus, cleaner grounds equal more places to sit.
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