festivals
Phil Pulitano was deep into an ayahuasca ceremony when he knew definitively that it was time to move on from his longtime professional post.
In 2008, Pulitano co-founded the BPM festival, a January gathering of dance industry professionals — named for “bartenders, promoters, musicians” — that over the years grew into one of the electronic scene’s premiere indie festivals. During its nine-year tenure in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the event drew tens of thousands of fans and a perpetually strong collection of techno, minimal and house music producers and DJs.
Then in 2017, a shooting in a club adjacent to the festival left one person dead, made the threat of violence painfully real and effectively forced BPM out of town. A message spray painted in town read in Spanish that “This is to show that we are here, for not falling in line, Phillip-BPM. This is the beginning.” The message was signed by the Zetas drug cartel.
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“In 90 seconds, our lives completely changed,” says Pulitano says over Zoom from his home in Ibiza. “We went from being [on the verge of] a 50% buyout for $40 million to having to pick up one of our security guards and dear friends off the ground after he was shot.” While BPM continued its expansion plans, hosting editions in locations including Portugal and Tel Aviv, Israel and eventually finding a new permanent home in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, the 2017 attack was ultimately the first in a series of unfortunate events.
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After its 2020 debut Costa Rica edition, the 2021 festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. Then in 2022, BPM was forced to cancel 30 hours before it was set to begin due to emergency covid restrictions put in place by the government that banned large gatherings. BPM organizers got this news after roughly 7,000 people, half of the total attendees, had already arrived to town for the event. While the team was able to host several smaller, renegade parties on nearby private land, Pulitano says the situation was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” creating a financial blow that cost BPM millions.
The situation was compounded when the event’s ticketing company did not make good on its promise to refund the event’s 14,000 would be attendees, forcing Pulitano and his business partner, fellow Canadian and BPM co-founder Craig Pettigrew, to come up with the money to pay everyone back. Pulitano says his relationship with Pettigrew deteriorated under the strain. But “I couldn’t even walk away if I wanted,” he says. “My name was involved and people hadn’t received their ticket money back.”
BPM 2023 created an opportunity for the company to recoup funds and pay off debts, despite it being the smallest ever edition of the festival, hosting roughly 3,800 people. Pulitano was proud of the festival but felt the brand had lost credibility. He also knew his stress about it all was also stressing out his then pregnant wife. As the dancefloors at this 2023 edition heaved with party people, Pulitano looked on knowing it would be his last time with BPM.
He’d by then participated in a pair of ayahuasca ceremonies — an ancient Indigenous ritual during which participants drink a psychedelic brew made of boiled leaves and vine and which Pulitano refers to by the colloquial term “plant medicine” — and found certainty and inspiration in the experiences. “I needed to do my own thing,” he says. “I had these sketches. I came up with a new idea.”
Phil Pulitano
Courtesy of Phil Pulitano
That idea is The Fifth Element, a festival Pulitano is producing this January in the Puerto Rican rainforest. As with BPM, the center of the seven-day event will be techno and minimal music. But the real nexus of The Fifth Element Pulitano says, will be deep meaning, spirituality and elevated vibes.
“I knew I needed to figure out a way to create a hybrid experience in dance culture,” Pulitano says. “Not going for a super hippie vibe that plant medicine can be… but doing something that’s in service and creates a bit more awareness and brings more consciousness to what we’re doing.”
In practical terms, this will involve bringing a crowd of roughly 4,000 attendees and 60 or so artists to the currently undisclosed site in the Puerto Rican rainforest. (This site has some infrastructure including a restaurant and ATV and horseback riding facilities, and while in nature, is not in a particularly dense or remote area of the rainforest.) Puerto Rico is in fact where BPM had hoped to relocate to in 2018, although these plans were set aside when a devastating hurricane hit the island in August of that year. With rainforests being sensitive ecosystems, Pulitano says The Fifth Element will be strictly leave no trace and also provide opportunities to participate in beach cleanups.
Pulitano says the goal is to book artists who “want to come and experience something more as well, not just come in out and just and make money and leave.” Set times for the event’s two stages will not be publicly announced. “Your journey starts when you arrive,” says Pulitano.
Programming will also include yoga, culinary experiences, art and ritual. (Pulitano advises that The Fifth Element “is not a plant medicine event, but it is a consciousness event.”) His staff of nine even includes shaman to advise on spiritual concerns. He foresees rituals like smudging happening on the dancefloor, and altogether hopes to create an experience with greater depth and purpose than escapist partying and revenue. The seven days will be structured with an “opening ceremony ritual” at the beginning before gradually ramping up the music, and then winding down into ritual in the latter part of the week.
The Fifth Element is being marketed towards socially conscious, experience hungry, wellness driven and reasonably well-moneyed attendees looking for bespoke experiences hat are more unique than most large-scale corporate events. (Funding for The Fifth Element is coming from a private investor.)
Altogether, he says the event “is something that’s giving me the same feeling I had when we created BPM back in 2008 and that [we had] in Mexico.” (He now refers to Pettigrew as his “ex partner,” says the two are not speaking and that his agreement to be bought out of BPM is currently “in a court situation.” He adds that the BPM brand was “destroyed” after the 2025 event was cancelled last minute due to permitting issues. The festival has to date not announced plans for a 2026 edition.)
But with his ceremonial visions now taking material form, Pulitano says he’s again feeling a passion that he personally partially lost after the 2017 shooting. It’s a concept he hopes will inject some heart into the dance world at large.
“I think that the scene has become this crazy bubble where the fees are too high for artists, which then ultimately fall back on the promoter, then the then the ticket buyer,” he says. “I feel like it’s losing its essence this way. There’s really no soul behind it. What we’re trying to create is something with soul and love and unity, that’s trying to find purpose within the chaos.”
LONDON — Events firm Brockwell Live have confirmed that a series of festivals set to take place in south London’s Brockwell Park will go ahead as planned.
On Friday (May 16), a high court in the capital ruled against Lambeth Council’s decision to approve events including Field Day and Mighty Hoopla over planning permission concerns.
The legal case originated with local residents group Protect Brockwell Park, which challenged regulations stipulating that festivals can only use public parks for 28 days annually without additional planning permission. Campaign leader Rebekah Shaman argued that the planned Brockwell Live events would occupy the park for 37 days in 2025.
Protect Brockwell Park raised over £40,000 ($53,589) last month for a judicial review of the approvals they called “unlawful.” They contended that yearly festivals keep the park closed for too long. They also called for “full public consultations, evidence-based impact assessments and proper evaluation of the long-term impact on the park.” The campaign was also backed by Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance.On Monday (May 19), however, Brockwell Live announced that the festivals will take place, insisting that the aforementioned ruling only dealt with “a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly.”
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Wide Awake, the first event in the Brixton park this year, is scheduled for Friday (May 23). In a statement posted to Instagram, Brockwell Live said: “We wish to make it clear that no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court’s decision.
“We take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously. As we prepare to deliver these much-loved, culturally significant events, we remain fully committed to its care, upkeep, and long-term wellbeing. With setup nearly complete, we look forward to opening the gates and welcoming festival goers later this week.”
In a further update this morning, Lambeth Council explained that an application for a new certificate of lawfulness had been submitted following the High Court ruling. A spokesperson said: “Summer Events Limited has applied to Lambeth Council for a new certificate of lawfulness, for 24 days, following the High Court ruling last week on the previous certificate. The council is urgently considering that application. That consideration does not stop the events proceeding.” Summer Events Limited manage the Lambeth County show, using infrastructure from Brockwell Live.
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap will headline Wide Awake, before the program of events continues with electronic festival Field Day on May 24. Cross The Tracks, City Splash and Brockwell Bounce take place on May 25, 26 and 28 respectively.
Mighty Hoopla will take place over the weekend of May 31 and June 1, with Ciara, Kesha and JADE booked to perform. The Lambeth Country Show will round out the programme, with the festival taking place from June 7 until June 8.
EDC Las Vegas starts Friday (May 16) at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The three-day dance mega-festival will feature sets from more than 250 artists, with many of them being blasted out of Vegas and onto the internet via the festival’s free livestream.
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Fans can thusly enjoy EDC from the comfort of their couch by tuning into either Insomniac TV or the Insomniac YouTube page. Live coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. PT/ 9:45 p.m. ET daily, with the broadcast going all night and into the dawn Friday, Saturday (May 17) and Sunday (May 18).
The livestream will feature coverage from five of Insomniac’s nine stages — KineticField, CosmicMeadow, CircuitGrounds, NeonGarden and BassPod, with Insomniac TV dedicating a separate channel to each stage.
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While the exact coverage schedule isn’t known, the festival overall will feature performances from artists including Dom Dolla, Alesso, Afrojack, Alison Wonderland playing b2b with Kaskade, Illenium playing b2b with Slander, Sara Landry, Horsegiirl, Gesaffelstein, RL Grime, Martin Garrix, DJ Snake, Interplanetary Criminal, Rezz, Fisher, Eric Prydz and many, many more.
Produced by Insomniac Events, EDC Las Vegas is the biggest dance music festival in North America, welcoming more than 540,000 attendees over its three days. Myriad versions of EDC also take place around the world in countries including Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., China, India and South Korea.
Earlier this week, Insomniac announced that a new edition of EDC will happen in Medellín, Colombia, in October. The show will be produced in partnership with Colombian events company Páramo Presenta.
After taking a few years off, the irreverent and one-of-a-kind podcast Promoter 101 is back and dropping hot takes on the concert business like it’s 2018 all over again.
Understanding why music manager Luke Pierce and Live Nation promoter Dan Steinberg revived their podcast is nearly as complex as understanding why they stopped in the first place. When they shelved the show in 2020, shifting priorities and the increasingly complicated post-pandemic concert industry played a major role. But what surprised Steinberg most was that no one stepped in to capitalize on their absence.
“We thought that we’ve been talking for quite a while, and maybe there was another voice; maybe if we got out of the way and somebody else wanted to speak up and fill that void,” Steinberg says.
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But no one did — and Steinberg and Pierce believe that’s partly because the concert business has only grown more complex in the wake of the pandemic, especially with the rise of dynamic pricing and nine-figure tour grosses. While they plan to keep the show’s popular interview format, they also intend to dive deeper into topics like ticket pricing and the reasons behind the sharp rise in concert costs in the post-pandemic era.
“I think it’s a mistake to say the promoters are outpricing the market,” Steinberg said. ” I think the managers are setting the prices. The artist may say they want more money, but I think that call is usually the manager, and it’s their job to direct that, and most artists leave that to the manager and the agent to figure out. I don’t know the promoters that want a more expensive ticket — more often, the promoter is trying to bring the ticket price down.”
Pierce added that there’s a “good swath of working artists that have priced themselves out of the middle class of live music.”
In the months immediately following the reopening of concert venues, fans were spending significant money on concerts and live experiences, making up for time lost during the pandemic. That period was followed by what Pierce calls a “burnout period” that’s happening “right now.”
“While fans return to some of their pre-pandemic behaviors, you know, artists continue to kind of tour at peak levels, and I think that will cause some problems with soft tours and unsold inventory,” he said. The result is a “top-heavy touring ecosystem, where the middle is kind of getting squeezed out a little bit, and I think it’s something artists and their teams really need to be cognizant of.”
The pricing problem will become more acute in the next 24 months based on what happens with the economy, Pierce adds, noting that “we just saw GDP figures come out, and the contraction of the U.S. economy is certainly not a great sign. Paying attention and making adjustments to your business is prudent right now.”
“Put more simply, the demand in the post-pandemic environment was enormous because we couldn’t do anything for a while, and we got free money from the government for a little bit, and nowhere to spend it,” Pierce says. “But that has to reset somewhere along a sensible trend. And I think it’ll be challenging for some people to figure out what that looks like.”
Steinberg notes that while the festival market will need to make some adjustments to navigate a tough economic climate, he remains optimistic about its long-term potential.
“Festivals are not done, it’s just a competitive space,” Steinberg says. “And they’re for younger people. And so there’s always going to be a cooler festival with a more cutting-edge lineup. But festivals can come back from a bad year. Coachella had some rough years, but they came back. Bonnaroo definitely had some tougher years, but they have come back. It’s very cyclical.”
One real challenge festivals face, Pierce notes, is “headliner fatigue, due to a lack of inventory of headliners.” Artists can make more money touring, especially artists playing arenas and stadiums, where they can deliver “the exact experience they want their fans to have, and that’s a better business decision for them, top to bottom.”
Steinberg and Pierce plan to release one new Promoter 101 episode each month and have launched a refreshed brand identity, complete with updated logos and artwork, to mark their return. Their comeback episode, No. 230, features interviews with Paladin Artists agents Steve Martin, Andy Somers and Chyna Chuan. The latest episode is available now at promoter101.net.
BOYNEXTDOOR returned this week with their fourth EP, No Genre, and they’re back to “breaking out of the mold.”
The six-member K-pop boy band — SUNGHO, RIWOO, JAEHYUN, TAESAN, LEEHAN and WOONHAK — debuted in 2023 and has always prioritized being hands-on with their work. This time around, JAEHYUN, TAESAN and WOONHAK are all credited throughout the EP’s track list as songwriters. Following the release of “If I Say, I Love You” in January, the full seven-track No Genre project arrived on Tuesday (May 13) in South Korea along with lead single “I Feel Good” and its music video.
Billboard caught up with the group during release week to talk about the just-released project, working on their music, and what to expect from their debut performance at Lollapalooza, going down July 31-Aug. 3 at Chicago’s Grant Park. Check out our conversation below, and stick with @Billboard socials for more from the septet coming throughout this summer.
What does the title of your fourth EP, No Genre, mean to you?
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LEEHAN: To us, “No Genre” means breaking out of the mold. We’re a group that genuinely loves all kinds of music, and rather than confining ourselves to a single style, we wanted this album to reflect our openness and freedom. By being directly involved in the creative process, we were able to tell fresher and more exciting stories in our own way.
Why is it important to BOYNEXTDOOR to have the group members so involved in writing and producing your music?
TAESAN: It allows us to fully express what we want to say through our music. Writing and producing our own songs lets us tell our own stories in a way that feels real and personal.
WOONHAK: We believe our music is only complete when it reflects our own emotions and real-life experiences. By taking part in the songwriting process, we’re able to deliver honest and relatable stories in our own voice. I feel like that’s what makes our songs feel instinctive and unfiltered.
What are you planning for your first performance at Lollapalooza later this summer?
JAEHYUN: We’re working hard to make our stage feel more interactive and alive. We’ve been studying English to better communicate with the audience, and we’re also trying out new ideas to make our performance even more engaging.
RIWOO: Since Lollapalooza brings together a wide audience of people who love music and the festival experience, we’re preparing a performance that anyone can enjoy.
What did you learn from your KCON LA performances last year that you’ll bring to your Lollapalooza set?
SUNGHO: At KCON LA, we learned how important it is to create a stage where everyone feels like part of the moment. For Lollapalooza, we want to bring that same energy, where everyone can let loose and have fun with us. Since it’s our first time at Lollapalooza, we want to leave a strong impression and make sure people remember the name BOYNEXTDOOR.
Philly Music Fest is returning this fall with an expanded lineup, growing from seven to nine shows across the city from Oct. 13–19. Now in its ninth year, the nonprofit festival — founded and produced by husband-and-wife team Greg and Jenn Seltzer — spotlights local talent while raising funds for Philadelphia-based music education charities. This year’s headliner is The Wonder Years, the acclaimed American rock band from nearby Lansdale.
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The festival is held exclusively at independently owned venues throughout the city. Greg Seltzer oversees production, booking, curation, and overall operations, while Jenn Seltzer manages merchandise, hospitality, and accounting. Together, the couple estimates the festival generates an annual economic impact of approximately $600,000 for local venues, hotels, and restaurants.
“I want PMF to annually be the best week of music in Philly,” says Greg Seltzer. “PMF is a chance to not only see headliners treat the local audience to unimaginable underplays at small venues, but we annually feature a curated lineup of emerging bands that are poised to break-out.”
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The festival includes a “surprise” headliner for the Oct. 13 and 14 shows at Ardmore Music Hall.
“The surprise headliner is not ideal, but it’s also a luxury,” he says. “As a nonprofit, we can pay national headliners to play smaller than typical rooms, which involves less risk for PMF and the venue, and we can also employ a strategy whereby we announce a show late, sometimes because the band is playing in market, and since we are a nonprofit without the demands of cash flow and profit – we can remain patient and ultimately deliver an incredible experience to our fans.”
The Wonder Years will headline two nights at Underground Arts on Oct. 17 and 18. Setzer noted he’s been trying to book the local heroes for the past five years, “but honestly – the band got too big, as they played two nights at the Fillmore and could easily play much bigger rooms. The timing just worked this year and fortunately, the band and management just really ‘get it’ and recognize the work and mission of PMF.”
Also participating in this year’s festival are Matt Quinn, Greg Mendez, Catie Turner, Deadguy, Nazir Ebo, Black Buttafly and more. Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m. Eastern on May 16.
Philly Music Fest
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Palm Tree Festival is touching down in France this summer.
The festival, produced by Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, will throw its first St. Tropez edition on July 26. The show on the French Riviera will be headlined by A$AP Rocky and Swedish House Mafia, with the lineup also featuring Sammy Virji, Cassian, Cruz, Lubo Hang, Xandra and Roman Cleiss. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, May 16.
Previous editions of Palm Tree Festival have happened in a laundry list of high-end locations including Hawaii, Australia, Aspen, Lake Tahoe and the Hamptons. Event organizers note that additional European editions of the event will be announced “soon.”
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“As we continue to grow Palm Tree Music Festival globally, St. Tropez marks a monumental step in our expansion into Europe,” says Myles Shear, the co-founder of Palm Tree Crew and Kygo’s longtime manager. “We’re bringing the best of Palm Tree Crew — music, travel, and entertainment — to one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and kicking off what’s to be an amazing European run.”
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In addition to Palm Tree Festival, Kygo and Shear also opened a brick and mortar Palm Tree Club in Miami late last year, with both the festival and the resort further establishing the duo’s vision of Palm Tree Club as a lifestyle brand. In 2022, the pair told Billboard about how they’re basing this model on Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville empire of music, bars, resorts and events.
“He created so many areas where [his fans] can come together — it doesn’t even need to be at his shows. It can be at his hotel or a Margaritaville bar,” Kygo said of Buffet. “That’s what we’re trying to create: something that’s bigger than the music. A community, a movement.”
San Francisco’s Portola festival has announced the lineup for its fourth edition this fall. The bill is led by LCD Soundsystem, The Prodigy, Underworld, Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou, Mau P, Chris Lake and Chris Lorenzo performing under their Anti Up alias and, in the festival’s continued tradition of delivering a marquee pop moment, Christina Aguilera. […]
It’s no secret that Canadian festivals have been facing hard times.
The post-lockdown years have seen high-profile festivals filing for creditor protection, like Montreal’s comedy behemoth Just for Laughs; scrambling to reorganize or downsize programming, like Toronto Jazz Festival and Calgary’s JazzYYC, after TD withdrew sponsorship; or cancelling editions altogether, like Toronto food and culture festival Taste of the Danforth.
Of course, major festivals closed before the pandemic, too, for a range of reasons. And many festivals wind down naturally, through generational or leadership shifts. But Erin Benjamin of the Canadian Live Music Association agrees that festivals are facing a difficult landscape in the years after 2020.
“COVID ripped up the playbook,” she tells Billboard Canada.
“The cost of goods and services and labour and talent is extremely high,” Benjamin adds. “And it continues to go up.”
Audience habits have shifted, too. She notes that festival-goers are definitely buying tickets later, leaving event planners with cash flow troubles.
In its 2025 Hear and Now report, the Canadian Live Music Association states that in 2024, the problem stretched beyond Canada. “Cancelled tours and festivals due to lower ticket sales, rising costs, and environmental impacts has led to overall industry decline,” the authors write. “High prices for top acts are exhausting fan budgets leaving less for mid-range artists.”
International mega-music festivals aren’t immune. After slow ticket sales in 2024, more than half of Coachella’s 2025 general admission attendees bought tickets through payment plans.
When festivals shut down, people lose a connection to local history and a chance to meet their neighbours. Benjamin adds that arts workers lose livelihoods, while local communities lose economic impact.
If the live industry is facing hurdles, it’s also true that music tourism is still a popular vacation choice. “We’ve got to capitalize on that music tourism piece here in Canada,” Benjamin says. “We have incredible infrastructure already. We need to take care of our infrastructure, need to continue to create opportunities for artists.”
Benjamin adds that each level of government — municipal, provincial and federal — has a role to play in harnessing that potential.
Every festival faces its own particular set of circumstances that help secure or shut down the next edition. But it’s clear that conditions across the industry are putting pressure on festivals, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
For a list of festivals that have closed or called for support, head here. – Rosie Long Decter
Craig “Big C” Mannix Joins CMRRA as Industry Relations Consultant – Community Engagement
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) is making a key hire to reflect the diversity of Canadian music.
Craig “Big C” Mannix has joined the CMRRA as industry relations consultant – community engagement.
An influential figure in the Canadian music industry, Mannix has served as vp of Black music at Universal Music Canada; held roles at Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music Canada and Virgin Records Canada; and had a founding role with ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective. He has also played a key role in developing the careers of major Canadian names like Kardinal Offishall, K-os and Pressa.
The CMRRA is one of the leading reproduction royalty distribution agencies in Canada. It distributed $96 million in royalties in 2024, a 23% increase from 2023. That growth was significantly driven by music on TikTok, where royalties increased by 126%. Mannix looks to continue working with creators moving forward.
The CMRRA also reported a 50% increase in international revenues, highlighting the importance of global potential in the current Canadian music landscape. Mannix’s role specifically focuses on community engagement and deepening relationships with underrepresented music communities.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with CMRRA. My love for music and art is what brought me into this business over 35 years ago — and it’s what’s kept me in it,” says Mannix about his latest career chapter. “I’ve always focused on driving culture with integrity, passion, and decency. I’m looking forward to connecting with more creators and communities through this new role.”
CMRRA is turning 50 this year. In a special industry newsletter, president Paul Shaver celebrated the organization’s growth.
“We have over 7,000 clients worldwide and a well-earned reputation across the industry for being efficient, technology-forward, client-focused, and trustworthy,” Shaver wrote in the newsletter. “Many of these clients represent hundreds or thousands of songwriters, further amplifying our global reach and impact.”
As global reach improves, it’s also important to focus on the communities that exist within the country. Royalty distribution is an important sector of the country’s music industry, and CMRRA is making strides to open it up to the full diversity of Canadian musicians. – Stefano Rebuli
Toronto Music Experience to Open a Permanent Museum by 2029
Toronto’s music scene is getting its own museum.
The Toronto Music Experience (TME) has unveiled plans to launch a permanent cultural home by 2029, commemorating the city’s worldwide impact through music.
The TME announced plans for its expansion on Monday (May 5) at a private event at Live Nation’s The Lounge in Toronto featuring artists including Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Jully Black and Lorraine Segato.
The organization announced that it has been granted charitable status, which means it can go ahead with fundraising, partnerships and community engagement as part of its five-year plan towards its permanent home.
TME’s goal is to highlight Toronto’s musical past, present, and future through immersive exhibits, pop-up activations, live performances and education initiatives. It aims for a storytelling approach, highlighting the achievements that have shaped the city’s music scene, from its historical Indigenous roots to the global impact of superstars like Drake, The Weeknd and Rush.
The museum fulfills the city’s need for a hallmark representation of its impactful musical legacy that is currently missing.
“We don’t have a museum devoted to what is arguably Toronto’s biggest cultural phenomenon, its biggest international export,” TME board director and longtime music journalist Nicholas Jennings told Billboard Canada in November 2024. “This is an untapped area for the city, and there is a need for it, because we’re losing some of these stories.”
TME has been actively telling these stories through a number of exhibitions in partnership with Friar’s Music Museum, located in a Shopper’s Drug Mart at Yonge and Dundas, the former home of the Friar’s Tavern music venue. TME hosted its first-ever live show experience with the Sound of Rhythms & Resistance concert at TD Hall in November 2024, serving as an extension of its “Rhythms & Resistance” exhibit in 2021.
“The success of the two exhibits that we’ve held at Friar’s has shown us that there’s an appetite and a market for something more permanent,” Jennings said.
TME wants to incorporate a mix of production, retail and café spaces as well as pop-up exhibits, pairing music education alongside interactive experiences featuring memorabilia.
“Our mission is to build an experiential space where artifacts meet immersive experiences in tribute to the artists, communities, and cultures that make our city sing,” says Denise Donlon, a music industry and broadcast executive and member of TME’s advisory board. “It’s a powerful way to celebrate our past and inspire the next generation of creators.” – SR
The festival business has struggled to find its footing this summer, but one production company is finding success in the festival space with a new strategy: smaller, lighter footprint events.
Tomorrow, Activated Events will open its sixth Boots in the Park festival for 2025 in Santa Clarita, Calif., with Old Dominion headlining and support from Nate Smith, Josh Ross, Mackenzie Porter, Noah Rinker and more. The one-day festival combines food, beverage and live music, with a price tag of $59 for general admission (GA) when tickets first go on sale in January, with the price steadily climbing as the event gets closer (GA tickets are currently priced at $119, with VIP tickets going for $255.)
The Boots in the Park brand is the culmination of Activated Events president Steve Thacher‘s decade-plus in the music business, first with the launch of Wet Electric in 2010 — a Las Vegas-style dance and electronic show held at waterslide parks in the southwest. That evolved into the launch of Coastal Country Jam in Huntington Beach, Calif., and then Boots in the Park starting in 2017.
“Our festivals are more boutique than some of the other major country and mainstream festivals,” Thacher tells Billboard. Indeed, Boots in the Park events range in size from 10,000 to 20,000 and don’t include camping or overnight visitors.
In 2025, Activated will host Boots in the Park festivals in Bakersfield, Calif.; San Diego; Las Vegas; Fresno, Calif.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Tucson, Ariz. Thacher notes that Activated works closely with city leaders to create “a more intimate and personalized experience than some of the larger festivals.”
“Our fans love that they can enjoy 10 hours of some of the best country music and still sleep in their own beds at the end of the evening,” Thacher tells Billboard, noting that Boots in the Park’s California festivals all take place one to two months after the massive Stagecoach country music festival in Indio, Calif., that’s regularly attended by more than 80,000 fans.
“We think there is a place for both boutique festivals as well as large festivals to exist in the same market,” Thacher says. “The benefits of being an independent festival producer has allowed my team and I to really know our events, brands, and customers extremely well. It also allows our creative side to come out. When we come up with a fun idea, whether it be a new art installation, a fun festival activity, discover a new venue or curating amazing lineups, we get to have fun letting our creativity run wild.”
Being independent, however, does come with its challenges, especially when it comes to booking talent and competing against the big corporate promoters with much larger budgets.
“Fortunately, all of the artists that have played our festivals appreciate the level of production, hospitality and full houses of fans,” says Thacher. “This has made the country artists want to come back and continually play Boots In The Park, Coastal Country Jam and The Smoke Show. “We have developed the trust and respect of the artists, management and agents in Nashville and they feel confident that the artist will be well looked after when they play our events.”
One of the keys to their festivals’ success, Thacher explains, is making sure fans feel like they’re getting a good value for the money they spend on tickets.
“Boots In The Park is more than just a music festival, it’s a full day of immersive experiences. Beyond the incredible live performances, fans can jump into line dancing lessons, sample a variety of 101 unique whiskeys at our curated tastings, and compete in cornhole tournaments for a chance to win exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities with the artists,” he says. “The event also features interactive art installations that add a creative and memorable touch, making it a well-rounded celebration of music, culture and community.”
Boots in the Park takes place this Saturday in Santa Clarita. For more, visit bootsinthepark.com.