Music festival culture has had a profound influence on the Western world. Beginning in the 1960s, festivals like Woodstock and movements like the UK’s punk scene helped redefine modern life. While Woodstock introduced the world to Jimi Hendrix and free love, the punk movement was led by people like Iggy Pop and focused on radical expressionism.
Modern music festivals have benefitted greatly from these early movements. Today’s top festivals, from Glastonbury to Coachella to Tomorrowland, all retain elements of those early projects. There’s an inclusive atmosphere, a gift from the hippie movements, along with plenty of freedom of expression.
The main difference, many would argue, is that many festivals are highly commercialized. They only sign on big names—not up-and-coming or innovative new artists. They’re also incredibly pricey and include VIP tiers for the elite—a notable omission from early events like Woodstock and modern events like the UK’s All Tomorrow’s Parties.
One aspect of this commercialization is their inclusion in pop culture. Music festivals might have started as a fringe and counter-culture activity, but they’ve since gone mainstream. Keep reading for a few of the most interesting pop culture-music festival mashups.
Games: Band-Oriented Titles & Festival Tycoon
Video games might not have too much in common with music, but popular titles that cover the industry have zeroed in on classic bands. For example, ZZ Top, Motörhead, and Guns’N Roses have all been immortalized as exciting minigames. While the former two performed in 2016 and 2015 at Glastonbury, for example, the latter band (Guns’N Roses) will headline at 2023 Glastonbury.
Despite enjoying their heyday back in the 1980s, these classic bands remain an ingrained part of pop culture—enough that they’re still included in games (and music festival lineups) today. In fact, some even hark back to the earliest days of festival culture. Developer NetEnt, for example, has an incredibly popular Jimi Hendrix game that touches on all themes and symbols of the 1960s movement.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Back in 2021, for example, Dreihous Studio released a music festival simulation titled Festival Tycoon. In the game, players craft their own perfect music festival, from location to musical lineups to the physical layout… including water filling stations and shower services.
Documentary Dives: Fyre & Woodstock ‘99
Pop culture has gone the way of documentary deep dives—and this trend has led to some highly intriguing music festival coverage. First and foremost, Fyre can’t be ignored. This 2019 documentary made headlines for uncovering the most unsavory lies behind the attempted 2017 Fyre Fest.
But what makes it interesting is that the documentary was co-produced by Jerry Media, one of the groups responsible for tanking the original festival, and MATTE Projects, which was responsible for promoting the festival.
Woodstock ’99 is a lesser-known project—and one that blows the lid off of the snakier aspects of organizing massive festivals. The project uncovers the extensive failures of an attempt to re-launch Woodstock back in 1999, largely due to the organizers’ thirst for profits.
Movies: Wayne’s World 2 & Tonight You’re Mine
Similar to Fyre, most music festival fans are aware of Wayne’s World 2 and its infamous Waynestock. The film offers plenty of laughs as Wayne and Garth attempt to rally fans into attending. If you haven’t seen it, then you’ll be pleased with all the easter eggs crafted especially for festival-goers.
Tonight You’re Mine is a lesser-known tale that sees two enemy rockers scheduled to perform at the same festival. Once again, you’ll recognize call-outs and festival culture in the script and the setting. The feuding stars eventually end up hand-cuffed together, which only adds more drama.
Tomorrowland in VR
The future of music festivals might not involve overwhelming heat, fields of mud, storms of dirt and sand, and lines to the bathroom and to collect water. In fact, attending your favorite festival might be as easy as donning a VR headset… though it might not make things that much more affordable.
Already, Tomorrowland offers a festival experience via Oculus. It’s a solution for those who might feel a little shy about attending a two-weekend festival with 360,000 others. Keep your eyes peeled for more VR crossovers like this in the coming years.
