Over the past year and a half, the music festivals scene has witnessed some major highs and pretty depressing lows. Often drug related deaths, racially offensive clothing and public brawls, have driven promoters to go ahead and ban certain elements from their festivals. Listed below are some of the items banned, and some perspective on whether their bans are justified.

 

1. Selfie Sticks

The recent trend of carrying a selfie stick to music festival has unfortunately, for some people has come to a close. Big festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury have deemed the devices a nuisance, therefore making sure they aren’t allowed onto festival premises.Β Yes it is true that the telescopic rods provide a bird’s eye view of your selfie, and are a great way to capture your favourite moments from a slightly better, elevated position. Nonetheless, things are getting a bit out of hand, and the fine line between β€˜use’ and β€˜abuse’ is being dangerously treaded upon. Β Even UK’s top indoor music festival venues are fed up with the prop as they obstruct the view of of bystanders who are actually there to experience a performance live, instead of wanting to relive it on a mobile screen later.

selfie1

 

2. Kandi Gear

This is a classic case of guilt-by-association.

We all are aware of the hoards of Kandi wearing PLUR fanatics of this generation. Some would say the influx of this new trend is a culture that advocates the use of recreational party drugs like the ever famous ‘Molly’ or MDMA and blame Kandi kids for the flurry of drug related deaths that place and major electronic music fests. Recently, trap producerΒ Diplo banned Kandi from all Mad Decent Festivals and events, which lead to a bunch of other festival promoters to doing the same.

So wearing a bunch of beads makes you a notorious drug advocate? Let’s take a moment to mourn the death of logic, in this case.

Lady Casa

 

3. Native American headgear

Feathered headdress & Native American war bonnets have now become a common sight at many a music festival. Be it Coachella, Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo, this trend has really caught on over the past year and a half around the same time tribal prints and fashion accessories became the new it thing to don.Β While you cannot deny the appeal of wearing something as majestic and ethereal as the feathered headdress, by wearing it you are also bound to offend the culture & people it stems from. Critics have deemed it as a kind of Β β€˜cultural appropriation.’
Β 
Big respect to festivals like Coachella, Bass Coast for banning them, no doubt. However some pose the question – β€œisn’t all culture inherently appropriated in some form of the other eventually?”

Steven Tyler native american headdress

 

4. Empty water bottles and Camel Baks

The banning of empty water bottles and camel baks by Electric Zoo, turned out to be a smarter move in restricting drug use in comparison to the ban of Kandi gear.

InΒ trying to take every precaution necessary to prevent any problems after the festival’s final day (in the previous year) wasΒ cancelled because of two MDMA-related deaths, festival attendees were forcedΒ to leave theirΒ Camelbaks and empty water bottles at home. The reasoning to which was quite logical, β€œbottles and Camel Baks can easily be used to store illicit materials.” Can’t argue with that.

camelbak

 

5. A whole festival

After some drug-related deaths taking place at Future Music Festival Asia (Malaysia), the festival was relocated to Singapore. This did not bode well with the stringent Singapore authorities, and hence banned the festival from taking place altogether. A clear depiction of South East Asia’s militant intolerance of anything associated with drugs.

lollapoloza

6. Madonna

Just kidding. We wish.