2024 Impact 50 Honorees: Charles Attal & Charlie Walker

Charles Attal
PARTNER, C3 Presents

YEARS IN THE BUSINESS: 30
FIRST JOB IN THE BIZ: Stubb’s BBQ Booker, Marketer, Production Mgr, Sometimes Bartend

Charlie Walker
PARTNER, C3 Presents

YEARS IN THE BUSINESS: 30
FIRST JOB IN THE BIZ: Production Assistant for PACE Concerts in Houston

Charles Attal and Charlie Walker, the “Charlies” of C3 Presents, based in Austin, Texas, both reach 30 years in the business in 2024.

Instead of kicking back to reflect on success, they continue to ramp up the festival scene with more offerings and an even bigger global footprint with their Lollapalooza brand.

“We are very focused on the growth of our core business with festivals and concerts and are continuing to find new ways to develop those areas,” Attal says. “In addition, we are working on curating new hospitality options inside of arenas, amphitheaters and clubs with some fresh new brands, as well as developing some new brick and mortar spaces around the country that we are excited about.”

The company’s continued growth is also a cornerstone of the past year for Walker, who adds, “We’ve launched four new festivals in Ocean City, (Maryland); Minneapolis; Huntsville, Alabama; and Austin over the past year.”

In addition, they’ve added a second weekend to the Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona, called “Extra Innings” (get it?).

In Ocean City, C3 Presents added Country Calling to the roster in 2024, taking place the weekend after its established, multi-genre Oceans Calling takes over the city’s boardwalk Sept. 27-29.

C3 Presents is expanding its mark in the upper Midwest as well, with the all-genre Minnesota Yacht Club debuting July 19-20 at Harriet Island. The curtain rises on South Star at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama, Sept. 28-29. And C3 Presents brought more than 80 Latin artists to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin for the one-day Bésame Mucho fest on March 2.

C3 Presents now stages more than 30 festivals across the globe, including Lollapaloozas in Chicago, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Sweden, France and India. But Attal says that, so far in 2024, his highlight has been “discovering the exciting Latin market and musical styles at Bésame Mucho Austin.”

While C3 Presents is known for blockbuster festivals like the global Lolla franchise, Austin City Limits festival, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; Boston Calling; and Governors Ball (with Founders Ent.) in New York City, Attal and Walker have an eye to boutique and niche fests and as-yet untapped markets in the near future.

“There are so many untapped markets that are starving for live music events, so we are exploring new cities and sites to launch events. The opportunities are endless.”
Walker adds, “There is a great opportunity for more boutique genre-specific festivals” in C3 Presents’ future.

What gets Attal through operating one of the world’s largest festival and event promotion, and management companies out there is finding and maintaining a sense of equilibrium.

“Balance is key,” he emphasizes. “Staying balanced and managing stress is incredibly important to maintain a multi-faceted business. Taking care of yourself first so that you can take care of others is critical. I’ve worked hard to find balance, which in turn allows me to be a better leader.”

Walker, who got his start as a production assistant for PACE Concerts, says persistence is a key virtue for building the business that continues to have the kind of impact on the industry that C3 Presents has.

“We are still here, almost two decades later, developing new festivals,” Walker says. “You can never have 100% success, but we have launched many successful new festival brands by hanging on and working harder.”