Why a festival is only as good as its crowd

If you’re a discerning festivalgoer, a key aspect of your enjoyment factor will be the crowd. For this very reason, many seasoned festival lovers will commit to one special event because of the crowd it attracts.

Cultivating a following that is aligned with the festival’s ethos is essential to its success. A festival could have the best line-up, the best decor and the best location, but if the crowd doesn’t match up to the other qualities, the whole thing can fall down hard.

Here’s why a festival is only as good as its crowd…

SAFETY & RESPECT ARE CRITICAL FUEL FOR FUN
If the crowd is aggressive, unfriendly or disrespectful, it can inhibit you and create a lack of safety. A fun, liberating experience is most likely when everyone is on the same wavelength – peace, love, unity, respect. Helpful, not entitled, caring and aware, not ignorant.

BAD CROWDS IMPACT THE WHOLE FESTIVAL
It’s not just your own personal experience that can be affected by a bad crowd. From the state of the toilets, the campsite to the queues at food stalls – the running of the festival, and the environment itself, can all be tainted when people in the crowd don’t know how to behave. Or, worse still, don’t care and are there to get kicks out of spoiling it for others.

YOU CAN’T ENJOY THE MUSIC
Being on the dancefloor with like-minded people, all on the same wavelength, can be such a blissful experience. But when you’re being shoved every few minutes or experience a stagnant crowd that doesn’t know how to enjoy itself, then it’s very difficult to get into the music.

THE CROWD IS THE FESTIVALThe very best festivals benefit from a special kind of social alchemy rooted in co-creation. From the energy you bring to the ideas you have, to the adventures, the socialising, the dancing and the respectful attitude you carry with you. It all feeds into the spectacle of the festival, and it’s usually this that you remember when you think back to the best times you’ve had.