Nothing can beat a festival with an enviable lineup and vibe. But what’s better? When promoters put that extra effort into assuring punters are kept entertained throughout. So here are some quaint suggestions courtesy The Sherp to help heighten an already enriching experience.
Take heed, festival fellows!
1. Speed dating
Before you let out that predictable guffaw, let us state our case. Whether you’d like to admit it or not, music festivals are hotbed of social activity, hence places you can meet different people from varied backgrounds. For the thousands of single millennials, looking for a good time with no strings attached, speed-dating at festivals may just be the answer to it all. With the use of dating apps like Tinder on the rise, a cute speed-dating activity hosted by festival promoters themselves can also be a great marketing tool.
(Image Courtesy :Β Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
2. Contests to win alcohol.
Whether it’s chugging contests or IQ quizzes, most festival punters would do anything (within reason) to win a few pints of beer. It’s not to say that we haven’t seen activities like these at festivals before, but it would be great if they became a regular. Alcohol, food and everything in between always turns out be an expensive affair at big festivals, so it wouldn’t do them any harm to hand out some free beer once in awhile, eh?
(Image Courtesy : Β Beyond The Valley Facebook )
3. More impromptu jams
Festival punters are almost always there for the music, and this can be proved in how ecstatic they get when their favourite band/artist comes on. As attendees we would kill for more chances to interact with our favourite musicians, be it sit-down-Ted-Talk kind of things or impromptu jam sessions. A lot of us musically trained fans, would consider this the ideal festival opportunity.
4. Totem contests
Since totems are such a large part of the festival space, totem contests can up the ante and motivate people to come with more creative and thought-provoking stuff. Plus, who doesn’t love indulging in little art projects prior to their favourite music festival?
5. Bouncy Castles
You know, to take the edge off….*ahem*.
(Gif courtesy : Β Tumblr)
6. Styling Contests
Festival fashion is another major part of music festivals, with venues like Indio in California and Black Rock City, Nevada being hotbeds for thriving and experimental outfits and getups. How cool will it be if festivals like Coachella and say Magnetic Fields have styling activations, where the punter in question is given a stipulated time to style an outfit? This activity, could be a superb brand activation for garmentΒ companies, ya know? You’re welcome.
7. Velcro walls and Ziplines
Adventure sports + music festivals make for much merriment. And even though some festivals do not come equipped with the infrastructure needed for them, Velcro Walls and Ziplining may just be the easiest adventure-centric activities to host. Imagine yourself at the Salmo River Ranch in Canada (during Shambhala) where you get to zipline through the festival overlooking the beautiful vemueΒ as well as the surrounding rocky cliffs and waterfalls. Sounds pretty neat, innit?Β Velcro walls can be perfect additions to family-friendly festivals, where parents often have a tough time keeping their children occupied.
8. Food-eating contests
There is nothing quite satisfying as watching people take part in competitive events that have to do with food. We especially feel that music festivals in India should host shawarma or pizza eating contests (staple festival food) to make people gravitate towards their food stations +Β feed a few hungry souls.
9. Late night Hide and Seek
Camping festivals can really up the ante from bonfires and camp jams to Treasure hunts in the dark or even sneaky games Hide and Seek. This can contribute to a spooky yet exciting vibe around the festival campsite, for sure!