As more music festivals continue to pop up, it becomes increasingly important for festival organizers to differentiate their event from those of their competitors. Anybody can throw together a music festival but it is the production value and event organization that really sets the major players apart.
Brands are also recognizing the importance of capturing the electronic dance music demographic. Social media consumption and spending habits of EDM fans are extremely valuable as global players shift their marketing efforts towards millennials.
Lucky for us, this has led to brand activation strategies that have elevated these events to greater heights than we have ever seen. Visually productions continue to be enhanced, free products are making their way to the festival grounds, and stages are bigger, brighter, and better than ever.
With the music festival season winding down, we take a look at 5 of our favorite music festival stages from this Summer.
7UP Stage 7 – Ultra Music Festival
Those patient enough to wait in line at Ultra Music Festival were treated to one of our favorite stage experiences of the summer. After getting an LED wristband from one of the beautiful and friendly 7UP girls, you were granted access to one of the most intimate settings of the entire summer.
Holding no more than a few hundred people at once, the towering stage was situated on an elevated platform overlooking Bayfront Park.
Complete with vibrant LED screens, free beverages, and friendly staff, 7UP’s Stage 7 created an intimate house party-esque atmosphere that put you right up against the stage to the point where you could reach out and touch the performers.
This stage was the first stage activation from 7UP which has paved the way for even bigger and better arenas at Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas and Hard Day of The Dead.
The Bud Light Stage – Lollapalooza
The Bud Light Stage, situated at the North end of Chicago’s Grant Park, served up a wide variety of musical acts over the course of the three day event.
Electronic music aficionados were able to catch Calvin Harris, Chromeo, and even watch Skrillex close out the event with his signature mothership stage, all while the Chicago skyline served as a backdrop.
Situated directly adjacent to the stage, the VIP lounge allowed patrons to indulge in their favorite Bud Light beverages while taking in the scenery in style.
The Kinetic Field – Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas
Any list pertaining to stages would be crazy to exclude the largest stage ever constructed in North America.
The sheer size of Electric Daisy Carnival’s Kinetic Field is difficult to fathom unless you had the opportunity to see it in person. Giant LED boards displayed the narration of the story in addition to the performances taking place on stage. Sound was not an issue as massive speaker towers were placed all throughout the crowd, engulfing you in a bubble of sound.
Just turning around to see the crowd was enough to blow your mind, as hundreds of thousands of EDM fanatics packed the grounds during headlining sets.
The Untz Satellite Stage – Wakarusa
Being on top of a mountain in the middle-of-nowhere, Arkansas was cool enough in itself. A little journey over the river and through the woods (literally) led you to one of the most visually stimulating and chilled out atmospheres of any music festival of the year.
Situated at the bottom of a naturally picturesque clearing, The Untz Satellite Stage provided the ultimate spot to kick back and catch tunes well into the early hours of the morning.
Keys N Krates, Wick-it the Instigator, Manic Focus, heRobust, Phutureprimitive, ill.Gates, Stickybuds and tons of other artists ensured that there were very few moments without music over the course of the weekend.
Nothing like bringing in the sunrise to awesome tunes with hammocks strewn all about the trees.
Hard’s Cosmic Meadow – Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas
It’s not hard to justify two stages from the same event when that event happens to be Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas.
The Hard Cosmic Meadow was situated facing the grandstands of the raceway which created quite the spectacle as the stands became packed for nighttime sets. Massive LED boards blasted visuals into your face as fireworks from all of the other stages seemed to illuminate the sky without a break.
While the whole lineup was incredible from A-Z, Hard’s Cosmic Meadow saw Zeds Dead blow our faces back, Bassnectar take us on a transcendental journey, and Dillon Francis show reworked visuals shortly after his contract with Columbia Records.
What were some of your favorite stages from this Summer’s music festivals?
Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know!
photo credit: Mixtribe Photo via photopin cc
