How Danny Wimmer Presents & 1 Million Strong’s Partnership Is Continuing To Bring Together Community & Support Mental Wellness 

World Mental Health Day, celebrated Oct. 10, aims to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. A focus on building community while supporting fans struggling with mental health or addiction can be seen in action at Danny Wimmer Presents’ Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life festivals via the promoter’s partnership with 1 Million Strong.

1 Million Strong is an initiative launched by nonprofits The Phoenix and Stand Together Music, Sports, and Entertainment that began with an emphasis on supporting addiction recovery by creating inclusive sober spaces and has evolved over the years to also champion overall connection and mental health. 

The initiative’s first festival partnership took place at 2022’s Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky, as fans were craving connection more than ever following the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated challenges with mental health and addiction recovery for many people. 

“Our partnership with Stand Together really began in 2022, when Bourbon & Beyond returned after the pandemic. Coming back together after that time apart, we were very conscious that people were carrying a lot with them, and we wanted to make sure there was a safe, welcoming space within the festival where fans could step away, reset and find support if they needed it,” says Chamie McCurry, general manager and chief marketing officer at Danny Wimmer Presents.

She adds, “We worked with Stand Together and 1 Million Strong to create that space, and what started as a relatively focused activation quickly showed us there was a much bigger opportunity. The response from fans made it clear that this wasn’t simply a nice addition to the festival experience—it was something people genuinely valued and needed. That became the foundation of the partnership. From there, we began looking at how we could expand the program across more of our festivals, reach more people, and make mental health, wellness and connection a more intentional part of the overall fan experience.”

Colette Weintraub, who serves as the head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment, notes that there can be a prevailing belief that if you are struggling with mental health or addiction should stay home and get that fixed before you go anywhere. She says, “We don’t believe that at all. We know that people are strong and resilient. And that addiction recovery and mental wellness can be things that are isolating by nature and that community and connection is actually the key to long-term recovery in those instances.” 

Traditionally, festival attendees who were struggling with mental health or addiction were directed to seek help at a pop-up tent at the perimeter of the event – away from the music and community. While acknowledging that it’s still important to offer crisis intervention, Weintraub notes that if this is the only option, it can unintentionally reinforce a message to fans that those who are struggling with mental health or addiction are broken and deficient.  

“Danny Wimmer Presents are such a great partner because they put the wellness and well-being of their fans, their artists and their teams at the heart of everything they do. They were really open and we collaborated and came up with this idea of actually turning that model on its head,” Weintraub says.

And so 1 Million Strong set out to do things differently. With its first sober-supportive space at 2022’s Bourbon & Beyond, the retreat was located at the center of the festival grounds, equidistant from every stage and merch booth, and offered fans a chance to enjoy mocktails and connect with other like-minded folks. 

The feedback was so great that the DWP team asked 1 Million Strong to stay the next weekend for its Louder Than Life festival, also held in Louisville.  

“What was really fun to see at Louder than Life was once fans realized that this 1 Million Strong retreat was here and they started to connect with each other, they realized how many other people there who were like them … they started to meet up to go do mosh pits together and that has remained a tradition that happens at Louder Than Life,” Weintraub says.

No matter their backgrounds, most fans are craving connection and community. Stand Together points to Ticketmaster’s State Of Play 2025 study that found that almost 1 in 3 fans have attended a festival alone and that among solo festivalgoers, 31% said meeting new people was one of their main motivations. Another statistic of note – a report from Crisis Text Line and Common Good Labs Gen Z found that the resource young people use most to cope with mental health crises is “opportunities for social connection.” 

The 1 Million Strong space at DWP festivals have featured activities that encourage people to connect with each other in meaningful ways including a photo booth, a community wall with special prompts, and this year’s tattoo drawn-on tattoo booth – an instant conversation starter. Plus, Danny Wimmer Presents has rolled out elevated mocktails to every food and beverage point of sale so fans no longer just had to go to one or two places on the festival grounds. Signature mocktails on the 2026 menu at Bourbon & Beyond included nitro cold brew, strawberry mango lemonade, strawberry lemonade & bourbon barrel smoked sugar, and local elixir kombucha.

Along with encompassing mental wellness since 2025, the 1 Million Strong partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents has expanded to the back of house, including offerings for artists, crew and the media.

“In addition to the wellness lounges with 1 Million Strong, our Guest Services team facilitates multiple meetings each day at all of our festivals for those in recovery, ensuring there are different forms of support available to our fans,” McCurry says. 

“At the same time, we’ve become equally focused on the mental health and well-being of the people working behind the scenes. We work with Amber Health year-round to provide resources to our staff, while also partnering with a variety of organizations on site to offer wellness lounges, 24/7 counseling and additional support for our teams during festival weeks.”

She adds, “Through our partnership with 1 Million Strong and Stand Together, we see an opportunity to bring those efforts together and continue building a more comprehensive approach to wellness—both Front of House for our fans and Back of House for our staff, crew and the broader community that makes these festivals possible.”

Over the years 1 Million Strong has partnered with non-DWP festivals, including Coachella and New Orleans Jazz, as well as artists such as DMC, Marcus King and Niko Moon, who the organization met at Bourbon & Beyond a couple of years ago.

“[Niko Moon] actually came out to the 1 Million Strong activation, met with fans, took photos, signed things, did a mocktail toast – and he’s been a partner on 1 Million Strong since. We’ve gone on tour with him,” Weintraub says.

Looking ahead, Danny Wimmer Presents plans to continue integrating overall well-being into its events by continuing to grow its wellness areas and expanding the 1 Million Strong partnerships to all of its festivals in 2027. 

For more information visit 1millionstrong.com/ and find the organization on Instagram at @join1millionstrong