Where/when: Austin, Texas; March
Type of offerings: Music, film, and digital media
2014 dates & ticket prices: March 7-16; admission prices start at $495
Vibe: Crowded, celebratory, frenetic, and keyed in to all things media—especially music, given its origins as a music fest. The significant presence of many start-ups adds dynamic energy throughout the event, and a hipster sensibility pervades venues throughout the city.
Audience: The 2014 iteration drew an estimated 150,000 people, who turned out for all or part of the 10-day program. Among the ranks are mostly twenty- and thirtysomethings, with more than one in 10 traveling from abroad. It leans more heavily toward male attendees—about 60 percent to 40 percent female.
Past event hosts: USA Network, 3M, Beats by Dre, Sonos, Filter, Fader, MySpace
Past main event sponsors: Chevrolet, Friskies, American Airlines, Oreo, Yahoo, Smirnoff, Taco Bell, SideCar
What works: Media-, music-, tech-, and innovation-heavy parties and activations are right for this crowd—last year 3M even used a disturbingly lifelike digital avatar named Jenny that directed guests to panels and events at the Austin Convention Center. Official and unofficial events take over hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs throughout the city.
What doesn't work: Events without a surprising interactive element—or another obvious draw like headlining entertainment—will have trouble rising above the noise.
Where/when: Miami; March
Type of offerings: Electronic dance music
2014 dates & ticket prices: March 28-30; admission prices start at $399.95
Vibe: Ultra feels like an eclectic costume party. Scantily clad attendees from all over the world offer plenty of people-watching opportunities. It attracts newbies and longtime festival vets alike.
Audience: Last year, Ultra broke attendance records with about 330,000 people from more than 80 countries at Bayfront Park; the festival also attracts a number of college-age spring breakers.
Past event hosts: Absolut, SiriusXM, Belvedere, Red Bull
Past main event sponsors: Heineken
What works: Pool and yacht parties, private warehouse bashes, and nightclub events start after the festival’s official daily curfew. Record label parties are a huge draw, allowing guests to check out DJs and related talent. An electronic music component is essential to grab attention.
What doesn't work: Ultra doesn’t have an especially upscale feel—folks are dressed casually in neon and high-tops—so events that feel too dressed-up aren’t the right fit. Morning events are a definite no-no for the late-night crowd.
Where/when: Indio, California; April
Type of offerings: Music and art
2014 dates & ticket prices: April 11-13, April 18-20; admission prices start at $375
Vibe: Generally peaceful, joyful. Think braids and daisy garlands amid a free-to-be atmosphere. There’s an air of concern for the environment: interactive recycling programs draw heavy crowd participation.
Audience: A generally sold-out crowd blanketing Indio’s vast Empire Polo Club comprises mixed-genre music fans, many traveling from Los Angeles to the three-day-long program that repeats on consecutive weekends. The range of ages and interests appeals to marketers in the categories of fashion, media, and beverage. Last year drew 90,000 three-day ticket holders for each of the two weekends, and this year is sold out as well.
Past event hosts: Lacoste, Armani Exchange, T-Mobile, Guess, ShopBazaar, H&M, Chevy Volt
Past main event sponsors: Heineken, H&M, JBL, PlayStation, Red Bull, Fruttare
What works: With the desert heat often soaring well above 100 degrees, pool parties reign supreme. The parties often take over private residences and hotels on the festival grounds as well as in neighboring Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and others. With the music-minded crowd, live concerts are often the centerpieces, though festival host Goldenvoice has restrictions on performances by its official acts.
What doesn't work: Daytime events without a pool component—the weather is too unforgiving. Second-weekend events aren’t as popular, so brands overwhelmingly prefer the buzzier first weekend.
Where/when: Manchester, Tennessee; June
Type of offerings: Music, art, film, and comedy
2014 dates & ticket prices: June 12-15; admission prices start at $234.50
Vibe: The festival draws a crowd with overtly artsy and environmentally friendly sensibilities. There’s a sense of community and an eagerness to explore the festival footprint and its campgrounds throughout Great Stage Park, a 700-acre event ground.
Audience: The Superfly Presents-produced Bonnaroo draws a crowd of about 80,000, including older attendees who have been around since the festival’s beginnings in 2002, to college-age kids from around the country.
Past event hosts: Fuse
Past main event sponsors: State Farm, Ford, Ben & Jerry’s, Dell, Garnier, Miller Lite
What works: Events held at night are a great match for the festival, where the masses are camping and make for a captive audience on the grounds. And given the Tennessee summer heat, giveaways that help keep attendees cool are favorites.
What doesn't work: The crowd doesn’t fancy itself as cool as, say, the Coachella kids, so events that feel exclusive are less likely to make an impact.
Where/when: Chicago; July
Type of offerings: Music and a retail media fair
2014 dates & ticket prices: July 18-20; admission prices start at $60
Vibe: Set in Chicago’s Union Park, the festival feels a little calmer than Lollapalooza, which shares its host city. It’s smaller and therefore easier to traverse. Headline performances draw a bigger crowd, whereas daytime events have a more relaxed vibe.
Audience: With affordable ticket prices for a major festival, Pitchfork is able to draw a broader audience. The festival also feels more intimate with about 18,000 attendees per day. Think indie music lovers and people wanting to discover up-and-coming bands.
Past event hosts: Ray-Ban, Threadless
Past main event sponsors: Vans, Hostess, ZipCar, Heineken, Goose Island
What works: Brands tend to draw in consumers with perks like icy treats, snacks, cell phone charging stations, and other essentials for staying comfortable at a hot music festival. H&M even brought in deodorant in 2012.
What doesn't work: Sponsor signage on the festival’s stages was a no-go in 2013, so sponsors used everything from carnival games to reps dressed as Twinkies to draw attention.
Where/when: Chicago; August
Type of offerings: Music, food, and retail
2014 dates & ticket prices: August 1-3; admission prices start at $95 (based on 2013 one-day passes)
Vibe: The atmosphere is festive, crowded—the event drew a record 300,000 attendees in 2013—and subject to Chicago’s unpredictable elements. It’s known to rain on the hot late-summer festival, creating a devil-may-care environment with attendees sloshing around in mud.
Audience: Young and with diverse musical genre interests: fans come to see indie, hip-hop, dance, R&B, and even country acts. But many attendees weren’t even born when some of the festival’s headline acts like Nine Inch Nails and the Cure were topping charts. The crowd is also international: At least one in 10 attendees travels from abroad.
Past event hosts: Belvedere, Gilt City, Fiji Water, Billboard, Asos, Bed Head
Past main event sponsors: Red Bull, Bud Light, Samsung, BMI, Toyota, Citi, Mophie, Gap, Hard Rock Hotel
What works: Given the festival’s urban downtown environs in Chicago’s Grant Park, hotels are popular—and proximate—venue choices for parties. And hotels welcome the event business and tourists: the festival has an economic impact of $120 million on the city.
What doesn't work: Overcrowding at related events is a perennial problem, and long lines have created headaches for guests and hosts alike. Further, Chicago’s notoriously dicey August climate has led to cancelations and last-minute tweaks (including an evacuation of the grounds in 2012).
Where/when: Austin, Texas; October
Type of offerings: Music, food, and art
2014 dates & ticket prices: October 3-5, October 10-12; admission prices start at $200
Vibe: The festival feels buzzy and big; in 2013, back-to-back weekends drew 375,000 fans. All-ages attendees contribute to an agreeable atmosphere: Frisbee throwing, kids’ activities, and juggling are mixed in with the music offerings at Zilker Park..
Audience: Austin City Limits draws the young audience that you’d expect at a music festival, but more than a quarter of its attendees fall into the 35-to-44 age bracket. There’s even an “Austin Kiddie Limits” area to accommodate families. A third of attendees are local to Austin.
Past event hosts: Pizza Hut, Viacom, Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Past main event sponsors: Bud Light, Samsung, Honda
What works: For off-site events, festivalgoers are attracted to the comforts they don’t find on festival ground: amenities, places to sit and relax, and free food and drink. Free barbecue—and even free tattoos—are popular event offerings. Because of the festival’s strict 10 p.m. curfew, after-hours events have a good bet at drawing crowds.
What doesn't work: Traffic is a huge challenge to and from the festival venue, so hosts that choose locations too far away have it tougher when trying to pull attendees.
The stages for this year's festival were divided by genre and denoted by color: black for metal, punk, and hard rock; blue for hip-hop, R&B, and electronic bands; orange for indie rock; and yellow for comedy.
Never mind the skeptics who said Goldenvoice's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had overstepped when it made the move to two identical weekends last year. The event returned to the Southern California desert in April with blazing buzz. About 80,000 people a day came to the massive event, and brands followed. Heineken's sponsorship activation included cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which was tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until guests were ready to imbibe. V Squared Labs also created the visuals for the brand's dome on the festival grounds.
Harper’s Bazaar brought the ShopBazaar pop-up boutique to the desert. Throughout the festival's first weekend, the event took over the Jonathan Adler–designed Parker Palm Springs hotel. Former Elle event chief Caitlin Weiskopf oversaw the event. "All purchases were made on ShopBazaar.com at the MacBooks or iPads in the pop-up, and guests could walk away with clothes to wear to the show that day," Weiskopf said.
Back for its fourth year at Coachella was Lacoste, which brought its Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party to a private estate near the festival grounds with production by Made With Elastic. The event included an activity/art installation that invited guests to shoot paint-covered tennis balls at a massive polo shirt called “Polo Gigante.” Beta Creative was behind the setup.
For right-on-trend festival looks, a flower crown station allowed guests to pick up garlands to wear on the spot—in exchange for a posting on social media.
For the fourth consecutive year, H&M was an official sponsor of the festival, but it expanded its presence this year from the festival's polo-field grounds to the 40-acre Merv Griffin Estate. More than 300 guests came for performances by Santigold, DJ Michelle Pesce, and others. Sleek signage in foliage and hedging served as chic, branded photo backdrops for celebrity arrivals.
More than 80,000 music lovers gathered at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, from June 13 to 17. In the spirit of garage rock, Ford erected a garage in the middle of the festival for its Fiesta Garage. Bands like Maps & Atlases and the Rubens performed while attendees lounged in mismatched armchairs. Also available were free customized T-shirts, iPads to browse the Internet, and a photo booth station.
Selected Instagram photos with the #Bonnaroo hashtag were displayed on the sides of the two main stages between sets. Instagrammers were also encouraged to submit their photos for the official fan documentary, True Roo: Fan Faces of Bonnaroo, by tagging #TrueRoo.
The planetarium, shaped like a character from an Adult Swim show, offered screenings of the channel's content as well as celestial graphics. Adult Swim also sponsored fireworks after headliner Jack Johnson's performance.
The Pageant of the Cosmos offered carnival games with an Adult Swim–inspired twist. For "Balloonicorn in Space," participants donned a unicorn hat and had to pop as many overhead balloons as they could.
This year's Pitchfork Music Festival drew some 50,000 guests to Chicago's Union Park July 19 to 21. As part of the Twinkie marketing campaign that it has dubbed the "sweetest comeback in the history of ever," Hostess brought in a bright red food truck that doled out the recently relaunched treats. By the truck, guests could pose with a plush "Twinkie the Kid" and play a game of bags on a board that read: "Feed Your Cakeface."
Playing off its "Off the Wall" tagline, Vans had a painter create portraits of festivalgoers. The paintings hung on a temporary wall on festival grounds and will be auctioned off at future Goose Island Brewery events. Proceeds will benefit the 606, a local park and trail system set to launch in the fall.
With the hashtag #PopChipsToTheRescue, PopChips sponsored a so-called "rescue hut." Supplied by Tuff Shed, the activation was stocked with items that festivalgoers often need, including cell phone chargers. There were also games, a relaxation area, and an oversize prop frame that guests could use for photos. After the festival, PopChips worked with Habitat for Humanity to donate the hut to the Chicago community.
ZipCar recently partnered with the Chicago Loop Alliance on a pop-up art activation called "Fueling Local Art." At the festival, guests could watch local artist George Berlin treat the car like a canvas; after the event, the vehicle was washed off and returned to the local fleet of ZipCar vehicles.
Lollapalooza brought 300,000 fans and 130 music acts to Grant Park in Chicago from August 2 to 4, and brands vied to get in front of the throngs of media, music fans, and tastemakers. At the "Samsung Galaxy Experience," Samsung offered henna tattoos on festival grounds. Guests could pick a design from photos displayed on the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 8.0. At another station, flower wreaths were available.
BMF Media Group returned to the Hard Rock Hotel to host the "It's so Miami Lounge" throughout Lollapalooza weekend. Starbucks hosted its first Lollapalooza activation this year at the lounge. The suite offered oversize chess and Connect Four games, plus small café tables stocked with buckets of bottled iced coffee.
UrbanDaddy and Mini Cooper partnered to launch "Mini Night Out," which debuted at Lollapalooza. Through the campaign, guests could reserve a ride in the new Mini Paceman on Friday and Saturday for a "nightlife adventure," which included stops at Lollapalooza parties around town. Media, local influencers, and festival bands such as Imagine Dragons (pictured) sampled the service, which left from the Hard Rock Hotel.
On Saturday of Lollapalooza weekend, Fiji Water and Gilt City hosted the Better-Than-Backstage Rooftop Pool Party. Treats included snow cones made with Fiji Water. The event's main feature is an intimate performance from a Lollapalooza act, and this year's event offered live music from MS MR.
The 2013 South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival wrapped March 17, with an estimated 150,000 people turning out for all or part of the 10-day event in Austin, Texas. Plastic housewares brand Glad and Keep America Beautiful partnered to provide 13 trash, compost, and recycling areas, diverting much of the festival's waste. Adding another layer to the activation, artist Jason Mercier created a mural of America made from SXSW trash, with digital prints of the artwork available for download.
USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. Attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.
For those who wanted a permanent souvenir of SXSW, the Asos Music Lounge included an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. guests. The three-day music venue and restaurant was presented by the British fashion online retailer at the Cedar Door Bar & Grill.
Topman, the British fashion brand that has a store on Michigan Avenue, brought back its "Live Screen Printing" activation. Guests could customize T-shirts or tote bags with a variety of prints.
As in previous years—and as at other music festivals—guests waited in long lines to receive the custom tote bags and T-shirts.
Ray-Ban and Vice magazine teamed up on an another custom T-shirt activation—but guests could bypass the line by participating in a musical activity. Anyone who stepped into a live recording booth and sang along to Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar" got a pass to step right up to the station.
The T-shirts all said "Speak the Truth," and guests could customize the statements that were printed below. One guest elected to have printed: "I still have stuffed animals," while another chose, "I am in the fast lane following my dreams."
Several brands used games to engage Pitchfork-goers. Coffee brand Café Bustelo, for example, had a prize wheel at its Café Bustelo Experience. Depending on the section the wheel landed on, guests could take home branded sunglasses, fanny packs, or other goods. The activation was produced by BMF Media Group.
Dark Horse Wine also had a prize wheel at its tent in the V.I.P. area. Guests could win prizes including an entire case of wine.
On the festival's main grounds, the wine brand also had a tent where guests could apply silvery, temporary tattoos featuring Dark Horse's logo.
Local beer company Goose Island made custom periscopes, set back from the main stages, that let guests peer at the festival crowds near the stages.
Whole Foods hosted a miniature market selling fruits and other snacks on festival grounds. There was also a station with complimentary amenities such as sunscreen, hair ties and bobby pins, and scented sprays with labels such as "Mosh Pit Mint." A sign near the station read: "Refresh yourself before you wreck yourself."
Several brands created interactive photo opportunities. At one such activation, guests stuck their heads into a billboard advertising Lifeway Kefir. Nearby, the brand doled out free samples of its vanilla and green-tea-raspberry frozen Kefir bars.
Whole Foods' photo op let guests pose in bright frames that appeared to grow out of a garden box.
Who knew carpet samples could come in handy at a music festival? Chicago-based carpet company Flor handed out some 5,000 squares of carpet so that guests could make their own carpeted seating areas on the grass. When the weather turned stormy on Saturday, guests used the carpets to cover muddy spots on festival grounds.
Off site but near festival grounds, Soho House Chicago teamed up with food website and mobile app the Infatuation to host an Ice Cream Social for festivalgoers on Friday. The event included a complimentary D.I.Y. sundae bar, where toppings inspired by the hotel's eateries included melon, basil, and bits of apple pie.
Outside at a mini market, guests could design their own parasols to take along to the festival on the hot, sunny day.
Coachella, which took place April 10 to 12 and 17 to 19 in Indio, California, offered festivalgoers numerous health and wellness events to attend, including the Nylon Recovery Brunch. The event offered outdoor yoga, as well as other activities meant to help guests recuperate after the weekend.
Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs was the location of Retreat, a wellness-minded, relaxation-focused event produced by Jeff Consoletti or JJ-LA and tour and event producer Tanya Slater. Taylor & Taylor was behind the production design, which included a silk patchwork canopy, Persian rugs, and kilim pillows. The event also offered free massages.
This year's South by Southwest Interactive, part of SXSW, which took place March 13 to 17 in Austin, Texas, had a Pursuit of Equinox cycling class at the Fast Company Grill at Cedar Door. Bikes pedaled by participants sent out data that was visualized on a screen.
For early risers, Spotify House held cycling classes by SoulCycle and dance classes, with a live DJ.
Many music festivals this year offered amenities to attendees that included beauty booths and necessary goods. Bud Light's traveling House of Whatever activation at Lollapalooza, which took place in Chicago's Grant Park from July 31 to August 2, had a "Tattoos and 'Dos" booth, which offered braiding, hair chalking, and other festival-inspired hairstyling services.
Whole Foods had a miniature market at Pitchfork Music Festival, which took place July 17 to 19 at Chicago's Union Park. The market offered fruits and snacks, as well as sunscreen, hair ties and bobby pins, and scented sprays. The station encouraged guests to take advantage of the free perks with a sign that read "Refresh yourself before you wreck yourself."
At a mini mart outside of a Soho House Chicago activation, guests could design their own parasols for portable shade during the festival.
Comedy Central's one-day Kegs and Eggs at Pelons & Bar offered attendees three key festival necessities: eggs, beer, and ponchos for that inevitable rainy day.
For attendees with dying phone batteries, Mophie had St. Bernards on hand with the brand's power reserve unit inside a barrel attached to the dogs' collars. Those in need of a charge took screenshots of their phone screen and location, and tweeted to the brand.
Off site but near festival grounds, Soho House Chicago teamed up with food website and mobile app the Infatuation to host an Ice Cream Social for festivalgoers on Friday. The event included a complimentary D.I.Y. sundae bar, where toppings inspired by the hotel's eateries included melon, basil, and bits of apple pie.
The Breakfast Sessions buffet was housed in the Red Bull Guest House at the Sagamore Hotel during the Winter Music Conference in Miami from March 24 to 28. Offered as a late-night snack, the buffet served munchies including Pop Tarts with dipping sauces, mac 'n' cheese, chicken-and-waffle sandwiches, and Twinkies.
The Bootsy Bellows estate's party featured a colorful ball pit for adults, backed by the logo and slogan of sponsor McDonald's. The Narrative Group handled media, producing the party with support from ESE Lifestyle.
Brooklyn Brewery brought its traveling petting zoo, Tiny Tails to You, to the Grackle. One of the highlights was a tortoise race.
My Jewel Bar's table at the Retreat offered guests baubles that they could customize with festival-inspired charms and details.
In a V.I.P. area, guests could have their photos snapped inside the "Bud Light Lolla-Scope." The machine took rotating, 360-degree photos of guests, who then posted the images to their social media accounts. The images were automatically populated with the phrase: "And this happened at Lolla 2015," along with the #UpForWhatever hashtag.
HBO’s Silicon Valley brought Scheimpflüg’s Time Slice 360-degree photo booth to the Mashable House. Guests could email the images they took to themselves.
Not a fan being stuck in a wild crowd at the front of the stage? Festivals this year provided the opportunity to watch artists onstage in a less chaotic setting. At Samsung's Galaxy Experience and its Owner's Lounge, guests interacted with the Samsung Gear VR, a virtual-reality device that gave them an up-close view of the performances on the Samsung Galaxy stage.
Local beer company Goose Island made custom periscopes, set back from the main stages, that let guests peer at the festival crowds near the stages.
Certain music festivals this year proved that going old-school can be the key to throwing an entertaining party. At the Essence Festival, which ran from July 2 to 5 in New Orleans, McDonald's threw a retro-theme community celebration, called the "Lovin' Skate Jam," which was designed by BPR and the Narrative Group. The fast-food chain's event offered roller skates and a skating rink for attendees, as well as a photo booth with '80s and '90s hip-hop-inspired props.
