Simple Steps To Organize a Music Festival

 

Simple Steps To Organize a Music Festival

So, you want to host the next Coachella? It's important to get organized as early as possible. Here are some simple steps to organizing a great music festival!

Music lovers know there is no better way to listen to your favorite band or artist than at a festival. As a music fanatic, it’s easy to get swept up in the idea of hosting your own event. However, there is a lot that goes into this. From choosing a date to checking the weather forecast to picking out a venue, you’ll need to tackle all the steps needed to organize a music festival. We share a few simple items to add to your to-do list.

Choose a Location

When choosing your venue, look at things like capacity, parking availability, and local laws about noise ordinances. It would be best if you had a spot that's easy to get to, safe, accessible, and close to amenities like hotels and restaurants. Secure your location early on so that invites and marketing material can be designed without delay.

Pro Tip: Be Inclusive. Accessibility is essential— how easy is it for visitors with disabilities or mobility issues to attend your event?

Secure Your Permits and Licenses

One crucial step in organizing a music festival is to secure your permits and licenses. These are required for many aspects of the event, including selling alcohol and having a food truck or charity fundraiser. You may need approval from multiple agencies: the fire department, health department, police department, etc. Securing these permits can take weeks or months, depending on how complex your plans are and whether any issues arise during the process. Spend some time early in the process researching and securing the necessary paperwork well ahead of the event.

Plan The Stages and Set Times

The next step is to determine the layout of your stages and set times to ensure smooth transitions between artists on stage. Consider how long each performance will run. This means carefully planning which acts will perform at what time during your festival so that everyone gets a chance to see all their favorite performers.

Get Security and Parking

There are two ways to ensure a safe and secure festival: you can either hire security at your venue or find a third party that will do it for you. The key here is making sure people can stay safe, have an accessible entrance, and find secure parking within walking distance from your venue. Additionally, if your parking is offsite, consider using a mobile guard shack as a ticket booth and hire a parking attendant. One of the benefits of these prefabricated guard shacks is that you can pack them up and move them to the next location when your festival is over. 

Vendor Outreach

If you have a music festival in the works, it's time to start reaching out to vendors. Your goal is to get as many vendors as possible on board with your event. However, before contacting any companies, there are some important questions you need to answer first. Who will be most interested in participating? What value do they bring to the event? Community support is important, and this can be a wonderful opportunity to connect with the community hosting your event.If you're looking to start your own music festival and don’t know where to begin, we hope this article has given you some insight into what it takes. Once your event is up and running with happy attendees ready for a fantastic experience, it will all be worth it.