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Festival Nomad's Handbook: a comprehensive guide to North America's music extravaganza - ebook
Festival Nomad's Handbook: a comprehensive guide to North America's music extravaganza - ebook
Explore the vibrant world of European music festivals with "Festival Nomad's Handbook". This essential handbook provides everything you need to know about 25 incredible festivals, including preparation tips, cost breakdowns and detailed festival profiles. From iconic events like Coachella to hidden gems, discover insider tips, local insights and survival strategies to make the most of your festival experience. Perfect for both seasoned festival-goers and first-timers, this guide ensures you're ready for an unforgettable musical adventure across North America.
Kategoria: | Music |
Język: | Angielski |
Zabezpieczenie: |
Watermark
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Rozmiar pliku: | 6,2 MB |
FRAGMENT KSIĄŻKI
I have personally long searched for a guide that would help me prepare for a music festival, but, to my surprise and disappointment, I haven’t found any that would have everything I need. At the beginning of my „journey” with festivals I have spent countless hours researching and learning how to prepare. And still – after each tour there were some lessons learnt and space to improve and make the process more efficient and more enjoyable. I realized that I am not the only person who might have come across similar problem and it might be difficult for a young person to jump into unknown. I am not a professional writer, but I decided to take up the challenge and contribute in a positive way to festivalgoers community.
Please remember it is a guidebook, not a novel. I won’t be sharing my personal stories there – you can find those everywhere else – I will be sharing all advice and tips to make your own journey successful. Inside you will find a lot of statistics, lists, tables and perhaps dry facts, but they will allow you to take full advantage of the festival’s charm later on.
Bear in mind that all the information included in this book are based on personal experience of attending multiple music festivals as well as publicly available information on festival organizers and other websites. Some small details like ticket prices, duration of the event, set up of stages and other organization details can differ although not to the point that it would completely change the situation.
This guide talks through festivals taking place in US and Canada. For the purpose of better storytelling, I split it into four regions (West, Mid-west, Central and East). I naturally realize the imperfections of such a solution – a person living in, for example, California will have much closer to EDC or Coachella than to Gov Ball in NYC or Ultra Miami. In this guide I will talk about largest & most popular festivals. By large festival I mean:
- minimum 2 days
- minimum 50 000 daily attendees (naturally with some exceptions)
Most popular music genres in America are hip-hop/rap, R&B, country, pop, rock, metal and EDM. In this guide I have focused on the last four. There might be few hip-hop/rap, jazz and other genre festivals, but they generally draw much smaller crowds.
Don’t worry if you’ve never been to a festival and have no idea how to grasp this topic. This guidebook will help you understand all mechanisms that are behind such venture and how to save your precious time and money while preparing for one!
I tried to structure the book so as to fit all the necessary information in it, and at the same time it was not voluminous like an encyclopedia but rather easy to consume and handy. The goal is: instead of spending ton of hours researching about the specifics of a festival(s) you can just read this book (approx. 2 hours), pick the festival that you would like to attend, check the necessary details on the festival website, buy the tickets and enjoy the rest of your day! For the price of two beers, you can get priceless knowledge – save time, money, nerves.
This book has eight chapters and each chapter is focused on different aspects of music festival that, bit by bit, will help you build comprehensive knowledge and understanding of what it takes to spend quality time at such event. The book will cover such topics as:
- Quick introduction – why was this guide created and what purpose it serves, some explanation how it was structured
- What music festivals really are? A small glossary of most important terms and all festival-specific knowledge is captured there
- How to prepare for the (first?) festival and what to pay attention to; surviving tips and planning order/timeline
- Description of 26 of the largest festivals of the four main genres in North America, festival calendar
- Summary of travel options and costs from the country capital to selected festival(s) in the region
- FAQs
As I mentioned earlier, for description purposes I split Canada and US into four regions – west (orange), mid-west (blue), central (yellow) and east (green). This is linked (in most cases) with time zones (from left to right): Standard Pacific UTC-8, Mountain Standard UTC-7, Central Standard UTC-6 and Eastern Standard UTC-5. Of course, it is not perfect categorization, but I believe it should be good enough.
Figure 1 North America region split
Source: https://www.mapchart.net/
Further on you will find similar map, but with pinned festival locations to allow you quickly visualize about what area I am talking about.
I have also prepared a short FAQ at the end of this guidebook (page) that will hopefully quickly address any remaining questions.GLOSSARY
Music festivals have their own unique language, with various terms and acronyms that are commonly used by attendees, organizers and the industry. Understanding these terms can enhance your festival experience and help you navigate the unique culture of music festivals. Here are some common terms and acronyms associated with music festivals:
1. Aftermovie: video production that captures and highlights the key moments, performances and overall atmosphere of a music festival. It serves as a recap of the festival experience. Aftermovies are commonly released online and shared through social media platforms to promote the festival.
2. Afterparty: events or parties that take place after the official festival hours.
3. Backstage: areas reserved for artists, crew and VIPs behind the main stage.
4. Crowd surfing: the act of being passed overhead by the crowd. Be careful if you intend to do it.
5. Encore: a repeated or additional performance at the end of a concert, usually expected but it also must be „requested” by the audience with significant applause.
6. GA: General Admission. Refers to standard, non-VIP tickets.
7. Glamping: glamorous camping, often involving more comfortable accommodations than traditional camping.
8. Green camping: a separate area for festivalgoers who want to enjoy a quiet rest outside of regular camping area. It usually has its own policy.
9. Hand horns/rock and roll sign: hand gesture formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb. It’s very commonly used during rock and metal concerts.
10. Headbanging: vigorous shaking or nodding the head in time with the music, typically to the beat of the drums or the rhythm of powerful guitar riffs.
11. Headliner: the main and usually most prominent act at a festival.
12. Lineup: the list of artists and performers scheduled to play at the festival. Synonyms (in more detailed form): running order, timetable, schedule, set list.
13. Meet and Greet: an opportunity for fans to meet artists, often arranged by the festival or artist’s management.
14. Merch: festival merchandise, including t-shirts, posters and other memorabilia.
15. Moshing: extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Typically performed to aggressive styles of live music such as punk rock and heavy metal.
16. Rain or shine: indicates that the festival will proceed regardless of weather conditions.
17. RV: short for recreational vehicle – a motor vehicle or trailer that is designed for short-term accommodation. Synonyms to this are camper, campervan, caravan – these terms are often used when describing separate parking/camping space for this kind of vehicles.
18. Set: a performance by an artist or band. Setlist is the list of all played songs.
19. Shuttle service: transportation provided by the festival to and from the venue.
20. Silent disco: a dance party where participants wear headphones to listen to music, creating a silent environment for those not participating.
21. Solo: lone performance (e.g. guitarist or drummer) without others accompanying. It’s always recommended to show appreciation during and after a solo.
22. Stage dive: the act of jumping off the stage into the crowd, typically done by performers.
23. Venue: location or site of the event or concert. These can be small clubs, large arenas, parks.
24. VIP: Very Important Person. Refers to special ticket categories that offer exclusive privileges.
25. Wristband: the wearable band that serves as a ticket and may also provide access to certain areas.EVERYTHING ABOUT MUSIC FESTIVALS
WHAT IS A MUSTIC FESTIVAL?
A music festival is a live event that features multiple musical performances across one or more stages, often over the course of several days. These events bring together a diverse range of musical genres and artists to entertain a large audience. Music festivals are known for their dynamic and communal atmosphere, providing attendees with an immersive experience of live music, performances and often other cultural and recreational activities.
Key characteristics of music festivals include:
- Multigenre lineup: festivals often showcase a diverse lineup of artists and bands, spanning various musical genres such as rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic dance music, metal and more.
- Arts and culture: some festivals incorporate elements of visual arts, theater and cultural activities beyond music. This can include art installations, workshops and performances that enhance the overall festival experience.
- Multiple stages: festivals typically have multiple stages or performance areas, allowing for simultaneous performances. Attendees can choose to watch different acts and explore various genres.
- Large-scale production: major festivals are known for their elaborate stage designs, lighting effects and sound systems, creating a visually and acoustically mesmerizing experience.
- Camping (optional): most festivals offer camping facilities, allowing attendees to stay on-site for the duration of the event.
- Seasonal events: festivals are often held open air and therefore they take place in summer months when outdoor events are more feasible.
One of the unique traits of festivals are even their names – you won’t find two different festivals with exact name. By incorporating some of individual features they easily distinguish themselves from other, sometimes similar, events. The name can include main sponsors name, they often indicate what kind of music is mainly played or where they take place.
Popular examples of music festivals include Glastonbury Festival, Coachella, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, Ultra Music Festival, Rock am Ring/Rock im Park and more. Each festival has its own unique character, lineup and cultural influence.
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND A MUSIC FESTIVAL?
First of all – let’s start with the question: why would you, at all, like to attend this kind of event? In my opinion attending a music festival can be (or let’s be realistic and paraphrase it – for sure will be) a unique and exciting experience and below I will shortly describe most important points why I think you should try it at least once – there are several reasons why someone might want to give it a try:
- Diverse lineup – music festivals often feature a diverse range of artists and genres and provide an opportunity to discover new music and broaden your musical tastes. Nowhere else you will be also able to listen to so many large-format stars at once.
- Live performances – seeing your favorite artists perform live can be a transformative experience. The energy and atmosphere of a live performance are unmatched, creating lifelong memories.
- Community and atmosphere – festivals bring together people with a shared passion for music. The communal atmosphere fosters a sense of unity and can lead to making new friends with similar interests. Some couples that met there ended up in long-lasting relationships or even marrying each other.
- Cultural experience – festivals often showcase various aspects of local and global cultures, including art installations, food vendors, workshops. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in a diverse cultural experience.
- Unplugging from routine – festivals provide a break from the routine of daily life. Disconnecting from technology and immersing yourself in the music and atmosphere can be a refreshing change.
All above points ultimately lead to one thing: unforgettable memories, from epic performances to spontaneous interactions with strangers. No amount of money will buy this. You will cherish those moments for years. This book and subsequent festival attendance can be a new chapter in your life.
ATTRACTIONS
Contrary to popular belief, in addition to the concerts themselves there are many different activities, thanks to which you can enjoy a pleasant time. I have listed them down to hopefully inspire you to use the time to the fullest:
- Live music performances – the main attraction is, of course, the live music. Explore different stages to discover new artists or enjoy headlining acts.
- Dancing – join the crowd and dance to the beats. Many festivals have designated dance areas and some even feature silent discos where attendees wear headphones.
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