Did you know that attending a music festival can boost your outlook on life? This is a great event to bring people together in your local community.

Are you wondering how to start a music festival? Not to worry! In this guide, we’ll go over how to celebrate your local talent.

Want to learn more? Keep reading to find out.

What’s the Vision Behind the Festival?

Before you begin planning your festival, ask yourself why you want to host the event. Is there a purpose or mission behind the festival?

For example, Ruidosa Festival highlights Latinx women musicians. There’s an emphasis on intersectionality, and they are open to all musical genres.

Another event with a social purpose is MACROCK. This is a music festival and conference held in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This event has been around since the late ‘90s. MACROCK promotes independent creatives and musicians.

The A3C Music Festival and Conference began in 2005 in Atlanta. It started as a hip-hop showcase. Now, it is a five-day festival. There are academic panels, film screenings, and a conference.

What’s the reason for your festival, and what will make it stand out?

Decide on the Lineup

Once you know the mission behind your festival, decide on how many acts you’d like to include. Reach out to bands and musicians to find out if they’re interested and available. You may not land every group you want but don’t self-reject.

Book your headliners right away. Once they confirm they are available, you can reach out to local and smaller acts. Create a list of backup acts in case some cancel.

What’s Your Budget?

While you’re working on your lineup, take time to decide the cost of the artist or band and how much you’ll make.

If you’re organizing a free event, will you accept donations? Ticketed events are easier to determine costs, so consider that route.

Decide on the cost based on your lineup. Multiply this by the number of people you think will attend and take away the operational costs. The amount you have left is what you use to pay your bands.

Don’t book too many acts and promise high payments. Some bands will accept a smaller amount with the idea that if you make more, you’ll add to the sum.

Consider Vendors and DJs

If you have popular main acts, keep building the excitement by adding performers. Include unique art installations and invite poets and performance artists. A diverse crowd will attend your festival.

Are there any vendors you could include at your festival? Local creative artists and business folk can share their work with the community.

You can seek a prize from a local business that you can raffle off at the event. The funds could go to a local charity.

Decide on a Location

How long is your festival going to last? How much space will you need for activities and vendors? Keep these things in mind when you research a location for your event.

There are local venues that are already all set up for these kinds of festivals. Know how many people will attend if you aim to book at a club. They will want to know a rough estimate.

You could also use a few venues. Get a massive spot for your full-day lineup and find another place for your smaller opening night.

If you want to host an outdoor event, find out the permits based on your city’s laws. You can find this information online or contact the local office.

Operations and Equipment

You will need bins for garbage and recyclables, bathrooms, and first aid kits. Make sure there’s some kind of food and drink for attendees, as well.

Either hire staff to run these booths or put a call out for volunteers. When the festival ends, make sure you have a cleaning team to take care of the cleanup.

Since your focus is on live music, you’ll need lighting and sound equipment along with a suitable stage. Make sure you hire a reputable team along with audio-visual technicians. Learn more about music festival companies.

Hire Security for the Event

You’ll want security at your event to keep anyone from sneaking inside the festival. Security will also keep an eye out for your festival-goers. Make sure you hire a professional security team who will work with your first aid staff.

Ask that they track the event and keep an eye out for fights, slippery surfaces, or lost children. Have a booth set up for attendees to report anything from assaults to lost personal items.

Look for Sponsors

If you need more funding, consider reaching out to local businesses. Think about what you could offer your sponsors before you meet with anyone.

You could advertise for them. Consider how you could boost their business before meeting with them. A potential sponsor will want to know how much advertising they’ll receive.

Place their logo on all your posters and flyers you print. Include their name and logo on a festival banner.

Make sure to work them into your social media strategy. You can tell them how many posts you’ll create where they get featured.

If you’re selling festival merchandise, you could include the sponsor’s logo there as well.

How to Start a Music Festival

We hope you found this guide on music festivals helpful. Now that you know how to start a music festival decide on your mission.

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