Festival Junkies

I have lived in Vancouver for more than twenty years. Every summer, I attend a number of different festivals in the city. What I have witnessed over the years is how many of these festivals have grown and evolved.

Take, for example, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival which began in 1978. There is a truly defined culture and precedence which has evolved over the years in this festival, which attracts more than 30,000 people over a three-day period every July. Every day, the festival starts with the “Birkenstock 500” where people race with their blankets to find the best spot in front of the main stage. This race is only one aspectof the Vancouver Folk Music Festival culture.

Successful festivals in Vancouver, across Canada and around the world have an executive director and team who really get the following concepts:

1. They understand who their existing fans are;
2. They focus on getting first timers to return;
3. They attract new and younger people who will be the next generation of festival fans;
4. They remain steadfast in the existing culture while recognizing and adapting effectively to changing times.

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is an example of a successful festival. It caters to long-time fans by ensuring the festival’s music program keeps them returning for more. The traditions including their mascot Pete Seagull, reusable plastic plates for a deposit of $2, super-early-bird passes, low prices and community tickets for those with lower incomes.

I’m not sure how long this successful growth strategies have been in place. I noticed it myself three years ago. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival wanted to attract people in their 20s who may have attended the festival as kids and now are young adults, as well as their friends. They started offering alternatives to the main stage entertainment to cater to the 18– to 30-year-old age bracket. These mini-evening stages offer a more intimate setting where the audience can stand up and dance, unlike the main stage where their long-standing rules ensure visibility for all.

Through observing subtle tweaks and changes to cultural norms, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival recognized that fans also want to dance at the main stage. So, they created an area that for the most part doesn’t impede the vision of those who work so diligently to secure the best blanket spot first thing in the morning.

If you have a festival you love attending, feel free to share your thoughts on this subject.

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