The Joys of Netwooking

Welcome back sports fans to the Watusi Express. From the lost lore of the beetle people comes a forgotten river of drivel. You must unlearn what you have learned. The prejudiced textbooks, Montessori schools and online degrees all fell decidedly short of getting the job done. The persistent rumors may well be true. There may be no simple and easy exit from this rat maze dubbed existence. Perhaps there is no chunk of aged Gouda waiting for all men at the end of Algernon’s puzzle, but rather a lonely, frothy torrent of hungry sharks and salty ice water. Welcome to the Joys of Netwooking.

Are you prepared for the fray?

Everyone has a “solution” in mind. Some safety net that might exclude them from the bloated masses waiting in line to be sheared like so much Irish mutton. The days of working for one company for forty years and retiring to a fat pension are long gone. Life has turned into college basketball and woe is the unfortunate who toils with the heavy yoke for so many mango seasons only to slip on a puddle of cancer and get hit by a chicken bus, a mere month before retirement.

Some learn to go without. They live in vans down by the river or travel hither and yon, searching out the scene wherever it may lurk. They find ways to keep gas in the tank and biscuits in the belly. By its own right, this strategy takes plenty of work, persistence and innovation. Some clever individuals find a way to do it and there’s money to be made in the service of the scene.

The scene is what it’s all about and it takes an army to put on a good show. From paid employees and volunteers and woodland vendors selling pins out of their trunk, there are plenty of ways to add to the frivolity while keeping the money in the family. In most sense, the expenditures used at a festival, stay at the festival. Food and merchandise vendors, along with the folks on Shakedown Street offer a wide variety of options when it comes to spreading the cheddar around. Some are the legit vendors that pay for space and others are freelancers who work the forests and crowds. As a huge machine, it comes off smooth as a gravy sandwich. Most folks bring money to festivals with no intention of taking any of it home.

Many festivarians have found ways to attend the yearly schedule of events with an element of moderate subsistence. From Northwest String Summit to Lockn’, Suwannee to Floyd, some absolutely kill it. Who doesn’t remember the hard-working wooklings that wandered into the site with a box of homemade stealie patches and fractal stickers? It usually goes something like this;

“Hey guys, does anyone want to buy a sticker.”

“Fine, I’ll take two. Who wants a sticker?”

It’s all about the five dollar pin or the ten dollar poster, of which many end up as heady trades or groundscores for others. Maybe it’s trading morning egg biscuits for bloody Marys or sangrias for messages. Everyone ends up getting exactly what they want.

The Vision Quest

Attending a camping/music festival has become almost a rite of passage for the Millennial generation. There are currently more than 800 music festivals in the U.S. alone. Aggressive pricing, a sick lineup of top performers, diversity in music genres and social media buzz are all contributing to the huge swell in festivals

The rise of the collaborative economy has established that many people are beginning to value experiences much more than owning things, and that they care deeply about shareable, personalized experiences. Music festivals are a perfect example of everything they love. Friends, music, unique and curated experiences, a community of fans, a break from their hectic lives in the city, highly-shareable moments and contributing to lesser-known musicians and local economies. All of this in addition to a virtual portal of fun, when the right people are present. Plus, festivals have totally redefined how we experience music. Fans can enjoy multiple bands and artists in a few days, giving them a chance to truly explore new artists and genres.

Festivals aren’t a new phenomenon, they go back in history 3000 years originating from 10^th Century BC and beyond. In Ancient Greece it was common for these popular events to not only showcase music, but also include competitions in music, poetry, drama and athletics. The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair in New York is often considered the first modern music festival where more than 150,000 tickets were sold; however, nearly half a million people arrived at the 600-acre farmland.

There are currently more than 800 music festivals in the U.S. alone. While some feature a specific genre, others span across a variety ranging from country to hip hop to electronic to alternative.

In the U.S. alone, 32 million people go to at least one music festival every year and 14.7 of those million fall into the “millennial” generation demonstrating the growing trend and “rite of passage” among today’s youth. Furthermore, on average people are traveling 903 miles to attend their festival of choice

Additional festival costs which may include merchandise, food and beverage. Festivals also help stimulate the local economy. Recently,  North American corporations spent $1.5 billion sponsoring music venues, festivals and tours, and the five biggest music festivals made a combined $183 million in ticket sales³ — and this doesn’t include revenue from merchandise, sponsorships, food and beverage sales. According to Forbes, in April of 2016, Coachella generated $704 million in overall spending activity by consumers and businesses and contributed an estimated $106 million to the local economy.

In the four years we have been covering music and arts festivals, there has been an increased overlap with other folks making their way through the jungle of “retirement” as they add their own spice to the gumbeaux of the festival. With the continued popularity and growth of music festivals around the world, the following businesses are helping to create the scene while paving the way for future entrepreneurs to enjoy the festy life.

Social media

During music festivals, fans flood their social media feeds with photos, videos and posts highlighting festival fashion, top performances and more. In just the first weekend of a recent festival, fans posted more than 3.5 million tweets. More than 1 millions tweets were sent during SXSW 2015. A 2014 Eventbrite study found that 75% of the social conversations about music festivals are created by fans in the 17-34 age group. The study also found that 23% of these posts were made by fans who weren’t even at the events but were watching remotely via live streams on YouTube, TV etc.

Look up ahead. Are those blinking lights along with the sounds of acoustic fusion guitar and chemical bluegrass? Keep up (if you can) with Katie Waffle and all of the Kamp Happiness tribe as you travel into the very vortex of the party season. Their wrap up of festival fun and music venues around Roanoke and beyond are a welcome diversion from the maelstrom of normal life. From Suwannee to Floyd and beyond, the Kamp Happiness libation installation should never be missed. Visit their social media sites on Facebook and Instagram.

Make good choices.

Next up is Jeff and Barry at RoadtripMojo. They are your guide to rockin’ RV, roadtrippin’ or festival camping experiences. From car camping to RV “glamping,” they’ve packed hella hacks and trusty tips about lodging, gear, tech, eats, venue reviews, and camping culture. No matter where the open road takes you, travel in comfort and style to parks, campgrounds, music & arts festivals, or just the journey itself.

Driven by veteran journalist and former Home Office Highway roadshow creator/host  Jeff Zbar and fellow RV & music festival aficionado, Barry Bluth, RoadtripMojo will elevate your experience in the festival fairgrounds and the great outdoors. Check them out on Facebook and Pinterest.

Visit Tony at rvboondocker.com and check out his nuggets of wisdom on RV travel and maintenance. Enjoy articles on emptying your black tank without moving your RV or the top 5 parks in Florida. We all need to understand better ways to deal with our brown and black water and rv boondocking is the wave of the future. Get on it yo.

Merch

MI kulture was founded in February 2015 by Josh Weberman and Jessica Ricksgers. They specialize in designing and producing custom lapel pins for ourselves and others. Due to creating and designing their own pins, and trading with other companies, they always have a wide variety of lapel pins available to choose from. Visit them on Facebook and Instagram. “May I speak with your manager?”

Lunar Wolf Visions specializes in spreading love and joy through artwork across the world. Their goal is to add and light and color where there is not!!! ♥Visit their Facebook page for a sick selection of pins and prints.

Assorted Gibberish

In a sea of festival expenses The Complimentary Bar offers a little pro bono fun for all participants. Belly up to the bar with Heather and Krissy for free compliments any time of the day or night. Be wary, they are known to occasionally hurl insults at degenerates who try to get in on the complimentary fun. You’re taking your life in your own hands. Like their social media sites on Facebook and Instagram and look for them at your next festival.

Florida Fire Flow, where fire is what they do. A Hulaween staple, they use the love of martial arts and performing into a show that ignites the crowds. 15 years of martial arts, hand to hand combat and the study of a vast many weapons have all given them the necessary control to  perform in front of an audience of any size. Check out their Facebook page. 

At Rainbow Lightning they love to create interactive and collaborative environments for kids of All Ages, and their parents to connect and play with one another. By building community around new ideas and collaborative projects, Rainbow Lightning is designed to re-connect each individual with their inner child; reminding all who participate just how good it feels to let your true self shine! Visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Clothes and Such

Dimples Dyes has been creating vibrant, intricate patterns of Tie Dye Art since 2002. Visit the website or catch her at your next festival to find the current Tie Dye collection, all made with two hands, one at a time, with professional dyes and chemicals, and a whole lot of passion and drive! Dimples Dyes sources the finest quality blank apparel to put her tie dye work on, ensuring a long life of the fabric, so you may wear your favorite tie dye pieces over and over again for years to come!  Visit her on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s Lazlitto, the last broken soldier. The land of the free and the home of the brave. Don’t mess with Texas worm tumblers. Never one to serve his pie with breakfast, check out his quality embroidery shirts and hoodies at the Golden Road Goodies Facebook page.

A Bazaar Universe, where everything is upcycled! From the clothing we sell, to the hangers and racks, and even the tents we set up – Everything in A Bazaar Universe is recycled. We do not import or have anything manufactured from new materials. We carry a plethora of wearable art, handmade by Jade and Delia from recycled fabrics. We also sell Upcycled, Repurposed, Repaired, Gently Loved, and Vintage clothing and accessories for ALL shapes, sizes, and genders. Visit Jade on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks to all our friends who help make the festivals a better experience for all.  It takes everyone to put on a good show. Support these business and look for others at your next party. Keep up with the wranglers as we head south to Everglades Roots Festival in January, Brainquility with Miah at Live Oak in February and Suwannee Spring Reunion in March. It’s so easy to fall in love. Can’t we all just have a good time? You bought a ticket, you might as well see for the show.

Sources:

¹ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/music-festivals/6539009/music-festival-statistics-graphic
² https://www.forbes.com/sites/cheriehu/2016/11/27/what-the-top-50-global-music-festivals-reveal-about-todays-live-music-industry/#4b062051d99d
³ https://www.umbel.com/blog/entertainment/6-factors-driving-massive-growth-of-music-festivals/?cn-reloaded=1
⁴ https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/festival-trends-by-the-numbers-7-stats-to-know-ds00/
⁵ https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/social-media-at-festivals-ds00/
⁶ http://www.gore-tex.co.uk/blog/festival-facts/