Are There Still More People Going to Music Festivals?

*Featured Cover Photo Credit: Do LaB / Jamal Eid

Attending a music festival is a joyous occasion that any music fan regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background loves to attend. However, with difficult times throughout the world such as hyperinflation and significant conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, prices have increased at various music festivals. Additionally, more people have not been attending music festivals, particularly major ones such as Coachella and Glastonbury, because of the lack of global icons such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé performing there.

To make things clear, whether if the fests are mainly hip-hop/rap, pop, rock, EDM, jazz, country, classical, and so on, music festivals still pack in huge crowds. However, some could say that since the COVID-19 pandemic ended a couple years ago, music festival promoters have increased the prices, plus extra fees, which then lead to less people attending. Perhaps if festival prices gone down, even by a little, perhaps more people will packing in like they were in the pre-COVID days.

According to an article from Canadian news outlet, Global News, it reported that multiple factors that count toward a lesser attendance at music festivals. Those factors include the end of “funflation” (the post-COVID period where many music festival goers bought passes to make up for lost time during the pandemic), Gen Z music fans being less likely to attend fest, high interest rates for festivals since the end of the pandemic, and less global music superstars (see paragraph above) performing at fests. Even people who are Boomers, Gen X-ers, and older Millenials are going to fests less since they have gone enough in their younger years.

The ‘funflation” times happened when many attendees spent as much money for the tickets and for the amenities at the music festivals since they had missed out on a lot of great memories because of the COVID lockdowns. Regarding Gen Z-ers not going to fests more than their older counterparts, they are more likely to have a great time with their small circle of friends and less likely to be open to meeting other strangers at a festival (not to mention that Gen Z also has a vast access to tons of music so there’s not a really a need to go out much). About the high interest rates in the past few years…well, that’s one major reason why more music fans are less likely willing to attend a festival due to extra costs.

Photo Credit: Andrew Allcock

Top headliners, even electronic music icons such as Tiësto and Swedish House Mafia, would most likely headline their own world tours rather than performing alongside multiple fellow stars at a large fest. Headlining their own world tours will allow the music superstars to earn vast amounts of revenue in comparison if they perform at festivals like Tomorrowland or Ultra. There were times, even in past decades, where top superstars performed at multiple fests even while they were still on their respective tours. Having not just the decreasing fees at music festivals, alongside the appearance of multiple superstars irrespective of the genres they perform in, will for sure bring more attendees like before. Not to mention, lowering prices for amenities such as food, drinks, and souvenirs will definitely help out a lot as well.

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