(Page 3) Festival Survey: Charles Attal, Ashley Capps, Jennifer Justice, John Reese & More Weigh in On The Changing Festival Market

Well-curated boutique festival experiences. We launched two new festivals this year that were both wonderful successes and both had a strong artist-curated element: Homecoming, which was a collaboration in Cincinnati with The National, sold out its original capacity, and we expanded beyond that a bit due to the tremendous demand. And then Moon River, which was a collaboration with Drew Holcomb. Drew originally founded this festival in his hometown of Memphis and, this year, we collectively decided to move it to Chattanooga. It sold out in March in a single day – almost 6 months ahead of the festival. 

I think both events were characterized by genuine, authentic curatorial visions that focused first and foremost on creating unique, memorable experiences for the fans. That quality also characterizes our High Water Festival in Charleston – which we founded with Shovels and Rope, and which sold out for its second year in a row, months before the festival as well. I think all of these festivals are characterized by unique lineups, a genuine love of music, beautiful settings, and an attention to the details of the festival experience beyond the music.

Which brings me to another success that we are very proud of – the development of the Campground Plazas at Bonnaroo, where we engaged with some wonderfully creative people – chef Tim Love, Matt Schulz from Cage the Elephant, the House of Yes burlesque team from Brooklyn, the Fort Houston collective in Nashville and others to create exciting festival activations throughout the campgrounds. It was a blast. These programs really were like a festival within the festival and we’re looking to do even more of this for Bonnaroo 2019.  

Our Forecastle Festival on the Louisville waterfront – 17 years old this year – also had its highest attendance to date. Again, we are very proud of the lineup, with Chris Stapleton, the Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and so many others. On top of that, I think the beautiful setting, the exciting town of Louisville, and many of the non-music related on-site experiences continue to set that festival apart as well.

Obviously, weather became a huge issue for some this year. Beyond that, I think the biggest challenge is cutting through the “glut” with strong, unique, exciting festival experiences.

Homecoming in Cincinnati and Moon River in Chattanooga – both new festivals this year – really stood out for me. Both had really special, intangible qualities. There was magic in the air.  

Well, it’s an overused term but “well-curated” is what stands out for me. A musical line up that possesses some synergy and a point of view … along with a setting that enhances the experience, engaging visual design, inspired food and drink selections that fit well with the audience. That’s what makes the difference in my mind.

I think you’ll continue to see festivals mature and evolve in a variety of ways – the strong ones will survive, the less compelling ones may fade away … but new ones will continue to emerge.  It’s true that there are a lot of festivals these days, but there’s always room for great, new, inspired ideas.

Overall market growth, and event offering diversity. The space continues to grow amidst shortfalls and adversity. Pop demo facing events, the hip-hop offerings of Rolling Loud showing the continuing comeback of urban music, and the rise of new events in secondary and tertiary markets. As the festival scene changes from destination/remote locations and experiences, we see more and more events submerge in accessible cities to the local demographic.

The clash of independents vs the big boys. Never has the challenge been so tough. As LN, AEG, etc., continue to develop their own and acquire others, it’s tougher for the independents to sustain. More events, an abundance of options, leads to even more scrutiny for the festival-goers. There’s only so many events someone will go to a year, the choice of which has never been more relevant. The IP and brand has never been more important for events

Outside Lands. Incredible as always. Perfect city, vibe and best produced festival. Genre diversity 

The community they develop and hope to grow. The need to differentiate and establish your own brand has never been more important. The inner festival social groups and communities are real and the camaraderie is strong. They keep events alive, and leave the community active wondering who will place next year and discussing feedback on what went right/wrong on past years event.

More events. Further diversification of events/genre/location. 

 

 

The festivals that were thoughtfully programmed and offered amenities tailored to the ticket buyers’ wants and needs either performed equal to or outperformed those in 2018 vs. 2017, which shows promise for next year. The producers who listened to their repeat customers’ feedback saw more of them returning. 

Weather is the most common challenge we face. Festival producers will need to enhance their on-site measures to counteract the things they can’t control. 

Danny Wimmer Presents: Welcome to Rockville. They built a great site in Jacksonville, Fla. and the lineup featured a nice variety of talent.

Exclusivity and diversity in talent programming is the first thing fans look at when a festival gets announced. Location and amenities are the next biggest factors that will make or break the experience. 

 

The demand, necessity and appeal of boutique artist-curated events will surge. We are already seeing great success with some of our clients including Excision, with Bass Canyon and Lost Lands, Slander and NGHTMRE, with Gud Vibrations, and Post Malone, who will produce Posty Fest later this month. 

That’s a great question. Last year I thought Day for Night and FORM looked amazing. But Day for Night went away so define “success”? I think if you asked me again in three months, I could give you a clearer answer but a week away from our own ritual, Desert Daze, it’s not coming to me. 

All of the above? Pemberton was a big one. I’m sure every festival team has felt the residual shock wave from that one. There’s too many uninteresting festivals that cost too much money. No one cares, nor should they. 

I don’t really like festivals anymore. But a few favorites from over the years include Levitation, Glastonbury, Corona Capital, any in Spain or Portugal, and as much as people want to hate – I kind of love SXSW. 

Curated booking. Immersive experiences. If it’s more than a temporary stage and port-a-potties in a parking lot, you’re ahead of the curve. 

5) What trends or changes do you predict for festivals in 2019?

Death. Destruction. And rebirth.