With the second weekend of Coachella wrapping up last weekend, we have officially entered ‘Festival Season.' That magical time of year when all the girls have crowns of flowers, and flags become capes, and it’s perfectly acceptable (and even encouraged) to wear ridiculous costumes out in public all day.
Your feet will be sore and your fanny packs will be full. You’ll meet some of the weirdest, coolest people, and maybe even become friends with them. Music festivals are truly magical places, and be they rural or urban, small or large, near or far; you deserve to visit one this summer and here’s why.
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1. More Bang For Your Buck
Music festivals are a freakin’ deal. You get to see a lot of artists for a relatively low price. Consider the hugely popular, fan favorite Lollapalooza in Chicago. For 4 days of music, including acts such as Radiohead, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ellie Goulding, and Major Lazer (and about 100+ more!) you pay $335. Consider that a ticket to any of these shows on their own might cost $10 to $200 depending on who you see, and that’s just for that artist and maybe their opener.
If you see more than 10 shows, especially those expensive headliners, your ticket has paid for itself. Smaller, local festivals can also be a bargain that showcases great talent at a fraction of the popular festival price, and usually include camping with the ticket price. Travel, food, and lodging are added expenses that can really add up, but camping and splitting costs with friends when you can will save you a little.
2. Variety
There are a lot of single genre festivals out there, especially for electronic music. But if you have a variety of tastes that spans many time periods and genres, you won’t find a better collection of artists than at a festival. Outside Lands in San Francisco blends old and new with seasoned acts like Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, and Lionel Richie; and contemporary artists like Lana Del Rey, Chance the Rapper, and Miike Snow. Between the artists I’ve mentioned, you have rap, electronic, pop, R&B, and alternative rock. They key to attract a large audience is to have an assortment of performers, and festivals know this, so they want to be able to give everyone a little of everything. Or, conversely...
3. Seeing Exactly What You Want
So if you're really into just one genre, there are plenty of festivals for that too: Paradiso, Electric Forest, and Shambalah are huuuuge festivals dedicated to electronic dance music. Complete with carnival rides, sweaty dance tents, and amazing light shows; these are must-sees for anyone who likes to rave all night. For those who prefer alternative rock and some pop, Bottlerock in Napa Valley has you covered. Summer Jam at the Gorge Apmitheater is two days of nonstop rap and hip hop action, or you can look into A3C in Atlanta. Don't forget to look local! Bluegrass, folk, and jazz festivals are extremely popular in the summer and are a great way to support local talent.
4. Meeting Awesome People
You’re guaranteed to meet some characters at festivals. People in crazy outfits or with ridiculous signs are a common sight; but not only are these people fun to look at, they’re fun to talk to. Festivals attract people from all walks of life and from all across the country. There’s something exciting about being camped in a campground with tens of thousands of other people and seeing the variety of flags from different states and countries. Even more exciting is seeing someone with a flag from your state -- you’ve just made instant friends!
Everyone can be a generous neighbor: sharing food, equipment, alcohol, and precious sunscreen. Some people even bring trampolines or ping pong tables, or barbeques (these are the people you want to be friends with!) and others might just invite you over to share a beer. Inside the festival, people look out for one another. I once fell asleep on a hill at a music festival and woke up with someone’s blanket on me. They give each other water when they’re dehydrated and help people who are lost. Everyone knows they’re all there for the same reason-- to have fun and see great music, and it really shows in their behavior. Of course you’re bound to run into some drunk, rude jerks, but they are the minority here.
5. Spending Time With Friends
What could be better than seeing your favorite performers with your favorite people? You get to spend an entire weekend together singing, dancing, drinking, sunburning, complaining, and generally having the best time ever. Sure, you might get on each other’s nerves sometimes, especially when its 100 degrees out and they forgot to close the cooler and all your food spoiled, but it’s an adventure you get to share together.
6. All the Free Swag
Businesses love to set up inside of festivals to do a little shameless promoting. Did you forget your sunglasses? Toyota has a tent over there and they’re giving some away! Did you leave your bag in the hotel? Nordstrom is doing screen printing on canvas totes around the corner. Is your face lacking adequate design? Face painting is right next door. There are plenty of freebies to be found at the larger festivals, and while you might not use most of it afterwards, it makes for good memorabilia.
7. Anything Can Happen
Coachella is known for its wild guest appearances during shows. The first weekend, Lorde and Sam Smith showed up to sing their respective songs with Disclosure. Bernie Sanders came out and announced Run the Jewels. Jack U brought out Kanye West, Post Malone, and Alunageorge. This past weekend featured tributes to Prince (RIP) from many artists including LCD Soundsystem, Guns n Roses, and Sufjan Stevens. Lil Wayne showed up during G-Eazy’s set, and Tyler, the Creator and Miguel dropped in for A$AP Rocky.
Last year at Life is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas, I was watching Brandon Flowers perform when the rest of The Killers joined him for a six song mini set of their best singles. That same year, Bill Nye, our favorite scientist and a scheduled speaker at the festival, popped up in the EDM tent to give a surprise shout out to everyone dancing. Celebrity sightings are also common at festivals: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jared Leto, and Katy Perry were just a few of the stars out and about at Coachella this year.
8. It’s Just the Best
I got hooked on going to summer festivals 5 years ago, and every year since has been a fun and memorable new experience. I’ve been able to see some of my favorite artists, and even meet some of them too. I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime. I’ve learned a lot about the priceless value of comfortable shoes, about how to pack enough nonperishable food for six days of camping, about how to deal with portapotties. I’m never more excited to shell out money than for a stacked music festival because I know that in so many ways it will be worth my while.
Not everyone wants to spend three or four days in the hot sun, surrounded by strangers, struggling to find a place to stand where you can see the stage. Not everyone can tolerate sore feet or the expensive food vendors or the inability to shower for days at a time. But you’ll be having so much fun that these things might not even matter to you. This summer, find a festival you’re interested in and get yourself to it. It just might be the highlight of your summer!
