From the different genres of music, to the creative setups, to the amazing outfits worn by fans, the environments of music festivals is something that is longed for and highly anticipated by so many people. Music festival season starts in the spring and carries on to the late summer. This past month marked the start of this fun season.
The largest music festivals in the world host some of the biggest names in music. Every year, the music festivals only seem to grow bigger and bigger, and the main culprit for this is social media.
This March, the Rolling Loud Music Festival was hosted in Los Angeles. This festival hosted some of the biggest names in rap, like A$AP Rocky, Playboy Carti, and Ken Carson. This year, they added diversity by headlining Peso Pluma, a Mexican rapper.
This festival is notorious for the rowdy crowds and crazy mosh pits that are very fun, but also a hazard. With record numbers in attendance this year, the crowd that showed up for all the artists was huge, but also led to many people being pulled out of the crowd in order to seek medical help.
Amanda Miller attended Rolling Loud this year. “I love the artists that headlined this year and I was so excited to see them but the crowd was so big and so heavy that at some points I was more worried about my safety versus what song the artist was singing,” Miller says.
She recalls seeing people having to be pulled out at the barricades because they were being crushed against the fences. “The artist had to stop their set in order to tell the crowd to calm down and take steps back in order to help those who were closer to the barricades,” Miller explains.
Besides the safety hazard for all who were in attendance of this music festival, the marketing done by Rolling Loud added a huge appeal to the festival. On Instagram, different videos of the artist’s sets were showcased, panning in on the fun-looking crowd. Especially with the big names they promote, people will continue to flock to the festival, regardless of its tendency to host some of the heaviest crowds.
The next festival that is coming up soon is Coachella from April 11-20. This festival is one of the biggest and most diverse for music located in Indio, California. From the small stages to the big headliners, people from all over the world flock to this festival. This year, Coachella is boasting a very diverse set. The headliners this year are Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, Charli XCX, and Travis Scott.
Regardless of what artist headlines, people are always in attendance. Coachella is more than just a music festival, it is a culture. Many famous celebrities and influencers are always spotted at Coachella. Furthermore, Coachella is known for the most elaborate outfits. Everyone in attendance always wears very chic outfits, regardless of whether it is convenient for the hot weather.
Senior Finn O’Reilly is planning on attending Coachella this year. “I think that the environment of a music festival is what makes it, and Coachella is the most unique and fun, which is why I go back every year,” O’Reilly says.
Moving on to country, Stagecoach is the biggest country music festival and is also hosted in Indio, CA. This festival always follows Coachella, and will be held the last weekend of April. It attracts so many people, even if they don’t particularly like the genre of country.
This year, headliners include Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, and Luke Combs. There are also many musical acts that are not country-genre specific, like Lana Del Rey, T-Pain, and the Backstreet Boys. Like Rolling Loud, Stagecoach is trying to appeal to a broader audience versus just country music lovers.
Mia Hagen, a senior, has been attending Stagecoach for many years. “Even though it is a country music festival, every year there’s something new, especially with different artists starting to make country music.” She believes that the festival should always focus on country music.
Music festivals create a unique environment from all music listeners. It also introduces different music and smaller artist to a bigger audience, which is what keeps attendance high at all the major music festivals in the country.
