The Northern Hemisphere's festival season is nigh, but are you game? Photo / James Genchi: Unsplash
The Northern Hemisphere's festival season is nigh, but are you game? Photo / James Genchi: Unsplash
Q. My partner loves his music. He has a significant birthday next year and I’d like to surprise him with tickets to a truly iconic festival before he (officially) becomes a Grumpy Old Man.
A. Still got those misty memories of Nambassa or Sweetwaters and forgotten about the over-flowing Portaloos,third-degree sunburn and slightly off lentil burgers, huh? The good news is that festival facilities have come a long way in 40-something summers. The bad news is, so have the costs and the crowds.
I’m punting that the huge EDM summer festivals across Europe are not your thing, so your iconic gigs are probably Glastonbury (Somerset, England; 5 days, usually June; 210,000-plus gatecrashers); Coachella (Indio, California; 6 days, April; 250,000); Lollapalooza (Chicago; 4 days, August; 400,000); Primavera Sound (Barcelona; 10 days, late May; 450,000+); New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (NOLA; 7 days, end April; 475,000); SXSW or South by SouthWest (Austin, Texas; 10 days, March).
Briefly, Glastonbury is known for its huge line-ups and live music, circus performers, cinemas and much more. It’s considered the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world, while Coachella is one of the biggest US festivals, known for attracting the most in-demand artists to its stages.
Glastonbury Festival is considered the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. Photo / Getty Images
Lollapalooza began in 1991 when Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell took the band’s farewell tour around more than 20 North American cities; the Chicago edition welcomes legends from around the globe and across multiple genres. Other, smaller versions are held in France, Chile, Argentina, Germany, and Sweden.
Primavera is one of Europe’s most popular festivals, the guest list drawn from rock, indie, pop, hip hop to electronic music. It also has editions in Portugal, the US, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
More than 50 years old, the Nawlins festival plays on 14 stages and has positioned itself as one of the world’s most prestigious gigs. Don’t be fooled by the name: you’ll hear the best rock, blues, RnB, jazz, funk, gospel, Latin, Caribbean, African, folk, reggae and more.
SXSW is a 10-day programme of film, music and interactive shows. Expect first showings of international movies (it’s where Everything, Everywhere… kicked off); the world’s “thought leaders” (yeah, I know) speaking across the city; big-name musicians in hotels, bars, clubs and churches.
Deciding which festival will be the easy bit. The tricky bit will be getting tickets. For example, Glastonbury tickets go on sale about six months prior, in November. You have to “pre-register” before the end of October, submitting personal details and a mugshot, which will be verified.
There are two types of tickets: standard or weekend tickets and ticket-and-coach trip packages. Generally, one person can book a maximum of six tickets so working with friends in a group of six will increase your chances of getting a ticket by 500 per cent. On your own, virtually nil.
You’ll all need to be logged in when the tickets are released and hit the mouse and hit it again and hope. Coach tickets sold out in 20 minutes last year.
Coachella Festival in Indio, California lasts for 6 days, attracting 250,000 revellers.
Photo / Getty Images
Cost? For this year’s festival, $660pp, plus booking and camping fees.
At the other end of the scale, SXSW participants can pay for priority entry to each of those three themes or for all three. With a bit of effort, anyone can see gigs and events for free by following the local paper: gigs and venues are often a secret until 24 hours before.
Well, almost free. Hotels and hostel prices hurt in Austin around showtime – at least three times what you’d normally pay in a popular North American city - and rooms fill quickly. Airbnb renters frequently refuse to take bookings in this period.
I’d suggest an alternative that’s much closer to home. Byron Bay Blues Festival, or Bluesfest, is a 5-day event – Thursday, April 6 to Monday, April 10 this year, so about the same time next year - with more than 200 performances of the best blues, roots, folk, soul and world artists.
Mick Fleetwood performs live for fans at The Byron Bay Bluesfest. Photo / Getty Images
It has a permanent home on a farm about 15 minutes northwest of the resort town, with multiple all-weather performance stages, licensed bars, undercover food courts, food and market stalls.
It attracts more than 100,000 happy campers every year, and prices are far more reasonable – A$695 (NZ$740) for all five days or A$175 for a big day of music, like the Sunday. Five days’ camping runs out at A$295, an overnighter is just A$90. Parking is A$104 for five days or A$28 for a single day.
Not bad for a lineup that includes (next weekend) Beth Hart, The Angels, Elvis Costello, Black Sorrows, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Beck, Keb Mo’, Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Counting Crows, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Doobie Brothers… might see you there.
Do you have a question for our First Timer’s Guide expert? Email travel@nzherald.co.nz with ‘First-timer’ in the subject line.
