What does it take to end a festival for good? Loyalty is everything…
Behold, the photo above shows me and my husband at EZoo’s artist lounge. For those not in the know, EZoo is a massive music festival that is now defunct after promoters mismanaged the festival in 2023.
EZoo was famous for…
- Overselling the concert by a whopping 8,000 tickets.
- Having concert goers trampling others to get in after being told to wait for hours, then later being told to leave.
- A massive class action suit.
- A cancellation of festival activities on day one.
- A refusal to refund tickets to disgruntled partygoers.
When I went, I had a blast. The festival has since been permanently canceled, with New York City saying they didn’t want it back in. As an EDM fan, I’m heartbroken. I had great memories hanging out with the DJs there.
Lately, it seems like Ezoo is one of many music festivals wrapping up their activities. This leads me to uncover the latest drama in the EDM scene…and what it means for entrepreneurs.
Lost Lands recently had a scandal of its own.
/media/9df7bb0f6744bc5d3a1115da653dd6ae
For the record, Lost Lands is an amazing festival. They have a star-studded lineup, some of the best visuals in America, and it’s also spearheaded by Excision. It takes a lot of effort to create a show that big.
Lost Lands, however, is not immune to the actions of its partygoers and vendors. News reports say that a vendor ran over six people with his truck after he got into an argument and tried to leave early.
The perpetrator, a man by the name of Noah Curtis, was apparently on acid when he tried to leave. The police came to find people screaming bloody murder while they surrounded the truck.
One particularly unlucky man said the truck “ran over his entire family.”
Though he ran through a bunch of tents at 2:30 AM, the official statements say that only one person was injured. According to Lost Lands official statements, no one was killed in the accident.
I’ve heard rumors otherwise, but for the most part, it seems like Reddit agrees.
Noah is being charged with vehicular assault. In other news, a person overdosed and died during the last day of the festival as well. This is not the fault of the festival, either. These things happen when drugs are involved.
Lately, I’ve been wondering what it takes to actually kill off a festival.
A general rule of thumb is that festivals die when one of the following is true:
- A scandal (or the actual scheduling) is grossly mismanaged. EZoo died because they didn’t even have the stages up on Day 1 and they oversold the concert by over 8000 guests. The mismanagement there is beyond the pale.
- Multiple violent deaths or riots happen. This is why EZoo, Woodstock ’99, and Astroworld all ended up dying out. They got horrible reputations.
- The amenities end up failing at the worst possible time. This happened to Hydrotechnics.
- The reputation of the festival becomes so bad, most people tend to avoid it. I’m assuming this is the case, though I can’t think of any particular festivals that were so bad that they became famously undesirable.
It actually takes a lot to cause a festival’s brand to fail.
The only festivals I can think of that truly had their brand die out completely are Fyre Festival, Astroworld, and EZoo. It took huge, news-making disasters with mismanagement and violence to make that happen.
As it turns out, music festival fans are a very loyal customer base. That’s why there’s such a lax attitude toward festival life. There’s a lesson to be learned here, if you can see it.
Music festival-goers are a very loyal breed of customer.
I’ve met festive people who have missed rent in order to attend the festival of their choice. Festival-goers are wildly loyal to their festivals, often going so far as to chant the name of the festival while they’re there.
That’s not an easy thing to find these days. The fact that so many festivals are still thriving in a struggling economy while also fielding multiple injuries and deaths is something truly unique.
These festivals can make millions over the span of three days. Millions! And even smaller ones can rake in six-figure returns on investment. So, what makes festivals so damn bulletproof in terms of losses?
It’s simple — I’ll explain this as a festival fan myself.
Here’s why music festivals are such bulletproof businesses compared to most other companies…
Music festivals are not regular companies. They’re event companies that happen once a year in most cases. That means they put their all into those three-ish days they’re on.
In order for a festival to succeed, people need to come to them and enjoy them. That means all their money goes into the following things:
- Hype. Festivals rely on the hype of their artists and marketing materials to get people in the door. Part of the way that hype builds is through their artists’ communities. Some fandoms get a bit crazy with it, so hiring the right person can bring in thousands of people waiting for the show.
- Community. Most major festivals have online communities that are active year-round. This is the real reason why they work so well. People don’t just go to festivals for the music. They go for the people — for the belonging and memories. A lot of the people who attend these festivals do so because it’s a way to meet up with friends once a year.
- Safety. There’s a reason why riots and violence are what typically kill off festivals. You need to have a certain level of trust in a festival. Festivals that aren’t staffed with security are dangerous. No safety, no attendees.
- Looks. Most of these festivals go crazy on decor for a reason. Instagram tends to be a motivating factor for a lot of influencers who attend these events. No good shots? No influencers. Part of the experience is being able to flaunt that you’re in the cool crowd where the action is.
But yeah, the number one thing people love festivals for is the community. Burning Man wouldn’t exist if the community didn’t make it magical.
Here’s what you can learn from this as a business owner or content creator…
Your community matters just as much as the level of trust you build in your business. People go to festivals and are loyal to them because they trust that attendees will have fun, stay safe, and get their money’s worth.
An incident like what happened at Lost Lands would bury an event that didn’t have as much loyalty. It would also cause a lot more problems than the promoters want to deal with.
Never, ever underestimate the value of a great community and a great experience. It’s what makes diehard fans.
Leave a Reply