Music has been an essential part to our day to day lives for decades. Whether that be your passion, favorite hobby, or just background noise for when you study, music is everywhere in every aspect of life. What better way to enjoy your favorite types of music in person at a concert or festival? Here is the big reason why music festivals have become so popular these days.
The big question is, where did this all begin? Music festivals first started during iconic gatherings like the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. These festivals weren’t just about music, rather, it was the communities that were being built during these exciting gatherings. Over the decades these music festivals have evolved into greater things, such as Glastonbury in the UK and Lollapalooza and Coachella in the U.S. Due to Covid, these events were shut down for an extreme period of time. With restrictions lifted and people becoming more comfortable with coming together, music festivals have been back in full action better than ever.
So, what is the hype with these festivals when you can just listen to music on your phone? There are multiple factors that contribute to this, especially social media. Social media has made it way easier to discover and spread music of different genres across the world for people to listen to. With these diverse genres and artists, festivals offer a variety of musicians to perform throughout the weekend. Along with spreading music, those who attend these exciting festivals might post on their social media accounts, spreading how much fun they are having at these concerts. This creates a sense of “FOMO,” which is the fear of missing out, that drives most people to attend concerts and festivals like these.
The special thing about music festivals is that you are not subject to just listening to one musician or genre. There are multiple opportunities to experience new or old artists at these festivals by just walking over to a different stage. For me personally, when I attended Camp Flog Gnaw in 2023 I was able to listen to new artists during the down time between the musicians that I planned on seeing beforehand. Not only do these festivals benefit the listener, but it allows these artists to gain new listeners that might not have heard their music before as well.
As someone who has attended a music festival and will be attending one again this year, I can assure you that it is 100% worth the experience. Fara Ebrahimi (12), a Camp Flog Gnaw 2024 attendee, states, “It’s definitely a wonderful experience and I’m glad I was able to go. Watching my favorite artists perform all in one day was great and I also discovered new artists that I like now as well.”
The rise of these music festivals reflect the human desire for connection and culture, especially after the pandemic. These festivals are able to bring people together to celebrate the universal language of music.
