State of Mid-Level & Boutique Festivals (Pollstar Live! Panel Recap) 

Though the panel start time at 9:30 a.m., may have been early for some folks, especially following the Pollstar Awards (and after parties) the previous night, Danny Wimmer Presents GM/CMO Chamie McCurry said she was “riding a little bit of a high today.” After all, DWP’s Bourbon & Beyond just won the award for Music Festival of the Year (Global, Over 30,000 Attendance).

Along with McCurry, the panel featured moderator Eric Gilbert, CEO of Duck Club Entertainment; Josh Kurfirst, Partner and Global Head of Festivals at WME; Chris Porter, Music Curator at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and Bruce Solar, Partner/Agent at Paladin Artists.

Gilbert brought up Bourbon & Beyond when diving into the context of the panel, noting, “Pre-pandemic there was a renaissance of these midlevel, boutique in particular, festivals. Post-pandemic there was a huge boom, everyone had a festival idea in every little town, everywhere. Last year the narrative was that festivals were struggling but Bourbon & Beyond just had its biggest year ever.”

As previously reported, 2024’s Bourbon & Beyond was declared the largest Kentucky festival ever, attracting 210,000 attendees to its four-day event that featured four main stages and more than 100 artists.

When it comes to which festivals thrive and which end up being called off, Gilbert discussed boutique events that are built around the experience are more resilient because organizers don’t have to chase talent.

Treefort Music Fest, which is produced by Duck Club Entertainment, is a prime example of this. The festival, which was held March 26-30 in downtown Boise, Idaho, featured five days of music, as well as comedy, art, yoga, film, storytelling and more. The event took place at dozens of venues including Duck Club’s own 1,000-capacity Treefort Music Hall and 700-capacity Shrine Social Club, with a capacity of around 10,000 people a day at the main festival site located in Julia Davis Park.

Solar advised that some new events should start as one-day festivals rather than three-days, then expand in future years. He added, “I think there’s an argument that there’s too many festivals, or not enough. Maybe there needs to be less in one area and more in others.”

Porter – who also produces The Town and The City Festival in Lowell, Massachusetts, and serves as a member of the advisory board for Freakout Festival in Seattle – spoke about the enthusiasm he’s seen when it comes to putting on events in small cities. He noted, “That’s why I’m so bullish on small cities that are accessible. That’s where I think there’s a future – support your small cities!”

McCurry pointed out that Danny Wimmer Presents just announced a 10-year agreement with Kentucky Venues to host Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life music festivals at the Highland Festival Grounds – and that the two events had generated over $33 million in economic impact for Louisville tourism including at hotels, short-term rentals, transportation providers, and restaurants.

“With Louisville, 75% of the fans come from outside the commonwealth – it’s a great city and we’re really proud we can showcase that city,” McCurry said.

In response to an audience question, the panel spoke about the importance of making sure the crew is treated well including starting the day by offering them a hot breakfast. McCurry noted, “If the crew had a good day the artists are going to have a good day.”

Kurfirst added, “Bands talk – when they’re playing a festival rather than their own gig, in a way the bands are rolling the dice to what their experience is going to be.”

Now if there’s a hot breakfast, Kurfist said that [tour manager] “Gus Brandt is going to bring the Foo Fighters back there.”