festivals
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For decades, festivals have created weekendlong oases for music fans — and left a mind-boggling amount of waste in their wakes. But as artists and fans increasingly learn about their impact on the environment, eco-minded — and creative — organizers have started pushing to make festivals greener.
Whether headliner- (solar power) or supporting act-size (“Pee into tea,” anyone?), their ideas are making the live space more sustainable. Just imagine if they could all happen in one place. Below, Billboard digs into a look at the eco-friendly festival of the future.
Catch Some Rays
Illustration by Sinelab
Most festival stages are powered by generators burning diesel fuel, but advances in solar technology now make it possible to store and generate enough power to meet a major festival’s heavy energy needs. Late last year, Massive Attack announced Act 1.5, the first 100% solar-powered festival in the United Kingdom, with the help of solar panels and battery packs that store sufficient energy on site without needing diesel generators.
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It Takes a Village
Illustration by Sinelab
Tennessee’s Bonnaroo offers fans interested in sustainability a dedicated place at the festival to organize and learn about new green efforts proposed by its nonprofit division, Bonnaroo Works Fund. That includes the Roo Works cafe, where green entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas in a group setting; a nonprofit village where patrons can interact with green groups; a “learning garden” highlighting sustainable farming practices; and a volunteer program called Rooduce, Roouse and Roocycle.
Keeper Cups
Illustration by Sinelab
Single-use beverage cups are a major source of festival landfill waste. Companies like r.Cup have begun working with major promoters like Goldenvoice to switch to washable, reusable cups, which are collected each night and washed at a local cleaning center. In 2023, r.Cup’s program diverted 1.1 tons (roughly 30,000 cups per day) of waste from local landfills.
Plant Seeds of Change
Illustration by Sinelab
To offset the carbon dioxide emissions of large events, promoters are increasingly planting trees and creating forest reserves. Groups like the European Festival Forest focus their offset efforts in certain regions of the globe, like Iceland, while other organizers plant and restore forests at festival sites for future concertgoers’ benefit.
Making (Vegan) Concessions
Illustration by Sinelab
In 2022, Goldenvoice’s Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, Calif., launched the largest vegan and vegetarian dining pavilion for any festival west of the Mississippi, with 10 vegan and 20 vegetarian vendors offering items like maneatingplant’s vegan bao buns, dairy-free milkshakes from Monty’s Good Burger and plant-based sushi burritos from Oona Sushi.
Water Works
Illustration by Sinelab
Last year, Amsterdam’s DGTL festival launched an initiative to protect the site’s limited groundwater supply — it’s located within an industrial port in the city — by partnering with local sanitation companies to, well, “make tea out of pee.” By harnessing the same water purification technology that’s used to convert wastewater in space, DGTL created water reuse applications that will likely be expanded in the future.
Wipe Deforestation Out
Illustration by Sinelab
Festivals like Lollapalooza and Outside Lands have switched to bamboo-based toilet paper this year, not because of the material’s post-flush qualities but to help curb deforestation. Bamboo grows much faster than trees cultivated for paper products, and activists see it as a possible long-term solution to the developing world’s need for lumber, which is increasing in price as deforestation continues.
Start a Movement
Illustration by Sinelab
For its Music of the Spheres tour, Coldplay deployed a kinetic dancefloor, harnessing the crowd’s movement to activate LED lights and other visuals — and to generate electricity that was then routed to power elements of the production. On the tour, custom-made Energy Centers were also assembled in a circle for fans to generate energy by riding stationary bikes.
Wrist Watch
Illustration by Sinelab
Light-up wristbands are now common audience accessories on major tours (and at some festivals), though some activists worry about the waste they create. For its Music of the Spheres tour, Coldplay partnered with Canadian company Pixmob to make biodegradable light-up wristbands — the first of their kind — from compostable plant-based plastics. Now Pixmob only makes biodegradable wristbands, having done so for events like the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games and tours by Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons.
This story will appear in the March 30, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The desert heat is turning up with 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just around the corner. Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat and Lana Del Rey are leading the pack as this year’s headliners.
Del Rey will take the stage on Friday (April 12 and 19), with Peso Pluma, Lil Uzi Vert, Justice, Bizarrap, Deftones, ATEEZ, Everything Always, Peggy Gou, Young Miko, Sabrina Carpenter and more also set to perform. Tyler, the Creator will then headline on Saturday (April 13 and 20), with Blur, Ice Spice, Gesaffelstein, Sublime, Jungle, Dom Dolla, Bleachers, Grimes, Jon Batiste, LE SSERAFIM and more also on the bill. Doja will round out the weekend on Sunday (April 14 and 21), alongside J Balvin, Jhené Aiko, Khruangbin, Carin León, John Summit, Lil Yachty, DJ Snake, LUDMILLA, the Rose and more.
No Doubt is also on this year’s lineup, marking the Gwen Stefani-led group’s reunion for the first time in nine years.
In addition to the star-studded lineup during the festival itself, there are countless parties and events in between sets and after hours where fans can enjoy even more action — from Neon Carnival and Revolve Festival to Heineken House and beyond.
See below for where festivalgoers and artists will be hanging out during the weekend. (Updating ahead of Coachella weekend 1 with new events. Most events are invitation-only.)
Friday, April 12
After headlining the Main Stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami on the final night of the festival this past Sunday (March 24), Calvin Harris defended the performance to a gaggle of internet haters.
In the comments section of a post about the set on the Instagram account for dance music publication Dancing Astronaut, two commenters called the performance “underwhelming.”
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In response, Harris joined the conversation yesterday (March 27) to defend the massive success of his catalog, writing “You expect me to play none of my songs? … how deep is your love – billion streams, this is what u came for – billion streams, my way – billion streams, slide – billion streams, feels – billion streams, one kiss – billion streams, and the other 5 half a bil, and before 2014 another 20, and not cheesy s—, proper f—ing songs with real artists, and you’d rather I play “Fein” trap edits today,” referring to the 2023 Travis Scott and Playboi Carti song.
Harris’ set featured many of his aforementioned classics, including the 2016 Rihanna collab “This Is What You Came For,” his 2012 Ellie Goulding collab “I Need Your Love” and his era-defining 2011 anthem “Feel So Close.” Harris continued by noting that he “spent months making new versions of everything for this,” pointing to the new and unreleased edits of his music featured in the Ultra set.
“And you wonder why I never play edm festivals,” he wrote. “At least people I saw irl had a great time and I can be happy with that, but f— at this point whatever I do is gonna piss you off.”
Harris’ comment garnered a furry of support, with one commenter responding that “no need to cater to these trolls sir, you will always be one of the greatest producers of all time for many of us.”
This Ultra performance marked Harris’ first appearance at the Miami festival in 11 years. The Scottish producer’s summer tour schedule includes a handful of European festivals, dates at LIV Nightclub in Las Vegas and his residency at Ushuaïa in Ibiza.
T-Pain, Ludacris and more stars are headed to Palm Springs next month for Revolve Festival.
On Wednesday (March 27), Revolve announced the 2024 lineup for its annual festival that takes place over Coachella weekend, featuring big names in hip-hop, reggae, dance pop and more.
Slated for April 13 in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the invite-only event will also feature performances from Sean Paul, the Ying Yang Twins, Nina Sky, Siobhan Bell and Kim Lee. It marks the seventh year the fashion brand has hosted the mini-festival, which has previously seen Post Malone, Jack Harlow, Cardi B, Ice Spice, Willow, Migos, Offset, SZA, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage, Chance the Rapper, Snoop Dogg and Tyga take the stage.
“Like every year when planning the artist lineup, we look to our community for inspiration,” said Raissa Gerona, Revolve’s chief brand officer, in a statement. “This year was no different. We decided to lean into the Y2K craze with artists from this era.”
She added, “We’re so excited to have the biggest chart-topping artists join us and bring the energy to Revolve Festival, the best party in the desert!”
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The one-day showcase will also feature opportunities to try new lifestyle and fashion experiences, according to the press release. Per WWD, Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand, Rhode, will host a photo booth for guests, while Supergoop! provides sunscreen. Kendall Jenner’s 818 tequila company will also be on site to serve drinks, as will Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter Vodka Soda.
Revolve has also unveiled a curated fashion line ahead of this year’s festival season. Shop it here.
See the full Revolve Festival lineup below.
Courtesy Photo
03/26/2024
Despite (and maybe also because of) a Friday night rainstorm, dance music’s first festival of the 2024 season felt like one for the record books.
03/26/2024
CRSSD began its nine-year anniversary celebrations earlier this month (March 2-3) when the festival returned to San Diego’s Waterfront Park for its spring iteration.
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Produced by FNGRS CRSSD and Goldenvoice, the event has been a mainstay on the Southern California dance festival circuit since 2015, when it launched as a boutique destination for house and techno fans in SoCal, a market then dominated by dance megafestivals like EDC and HARD.
CRSSD’s 2024 spring festival (another follows annually each fall) welcomed roughly 15,000 fans per day, along with headliners including Tale of Us, Armand Van Helden, Jeff Milles and Lane 8. Additionally, the event hosted a flurry of crucial rising and veteran artists including Syreeta, Joris Voorn, Trym and X Club. Hear exclusive sets from these four acts below.
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Syreeta
Ending her debut U.S. tour with this CRSSD appearance, the London-based producer opened her set with a spacious, slow-build edit of Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 classic “Swimming Pools,” shifted into Latin rhythms, a subtle remix of Eminem’s “Superman” and then put her foot on the gas for an hour of fresh, sophisticated house music.
Joris Voorn
The Dutch mainstay played an evening set on the festival’s City Steps stage, opening with Infamous Zol’s lush 2019 production “Nocturnals” before ramping up into 90 minutes of progressive house and melodic techno that altogether helped segue the festival from day to night.
Trym
French DJ Trym wasted no time getting into it, starting his set with heavy-hitting techno and maintaining a very high BPM for the duration of his March 2 headlining set on the festival’s City Steps stage.
X Club.
On Saturday, the Australian duo played to a packed late afternoon crowd on CRSSD’s City Steps stage. There, they delivered an impeccable set made from ravey electronica, increasingly hard techno, one surprising and very welcome “Groove Is in the Heart” remix and a trance-oriented finale.
Day one of Ultra Music festival 2024 has been shut down due to severe weather. As thunder and lightning storms and strong winds moved through the Miami area, where the festival takes place in the city’s downtown Bayfront Park, organizers posted an announcement that “for your safety, Ultra Friday is temporarily shutting down. Please calmly […]
Coachella‘s already extensive dance offerings are expanding with this week’s announcement of a new festival stage dedicated to the genre.
Called Quasar, the stage will feature extended sets that run three to four hours, with Coachella producer Goldenvoice announcing different lineups for both weekends of the fest. Weekend one will feature Honey Dijon playing b2b with Green Velvet, the first U.S. show from Michael Bibi since he announced he was in remission from cancer, and Jamie xx playing b3b with Floating Points and Daphni. All of these artists are new additions to the lineup.
For weekend two, Quasar will feature a DJ set by Rüfüs du Sol, Eric Prydz playing b2b with Anyma and Diplo playing b2b with Dutch wunkderkind Mau P. Minus Anyma (also known as Matteo Milleri, who is one half of Tale of Us), all of these artists are also new to the 2024 lineup.
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There’s also evidence that more artists will join the bill. On the lineup announcement on Instagram, Los Angeles-based DJ Heidi Lawden commented “one female yay!” in regard to the lineup being almost entirely men. In response, Kobi Danan — whose company Framework curates Coachella’s Yuma stage – – wrote “not done yet!”
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A rendering of the stage reveals it to be a massive area with a futuristic design. A video shared to Instagram by Coachella outlines specs for the stage, which Goldenvoice’s Executive Vice President Jenn Yacoubian calls “a stage where we can book talent on it in a way that we’ve felt we haven’t been able to in the past. We’re look at it as a traditional kind of DJ stage. The thinking was that we wanted people to see a longer format DJ set.”
Designed by Vita Modus, a longtime Coachella stage designer, Quasar will be assembled from two massive LED walls with the artists in the middle.
This is the first time that Coachella has debuted a new stage dedicated to dance music since Yuma launched at the event in 2013. Launched during the EDM explosion and designed to showcase more “underground” dance music, Yuma has grown substantially over the years in tandem with house and techno’s rise in popularity in the U.S. According to Yacoubian, Quasar will occupy a space on the festival site formerly occupied by the Sahara tent, with that tent moving elsewhere.
Dance music is otherwise spread across nearly all the Coachella stages, typically appearing on the festival’s second biggest area, the Outdoor Stage, the occasional mainstage performance (including Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia during the past two years), along with Yuma, Sahara, the Do Lab area and often in the Gobi and Mojave tents as well.
Next month’s Rabbit Eats Lettuce festival will etch its name in the history books as the first event in an Australian state to offer pill-testing services.
Set for the Easter long weekend, from March 28-April 1, the electronic and dance-specialist fest is at home near Warwick in the south-east corridor of Queensland — the first Australian state or territory to commit to supporting pill testing on an ongoing basis.
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Partygoers will have access to free, voluntary, and confidential pill testing by an “appropriately qualified chemist,” reads a statement from state government, which is tipping in nearly A$1 million ($660,000) in investment over two years.
“I am thrilled to be supporting new and innovative services to help reduce harms from illicit drug use,” comments minister for health, mental health and ambulance service Shannon Fentiman.
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These services, Fentiman continues, “are all about harm minimization; we don’t want people ending up in our emergency departments – or worse losing their life.”
According to figures published by Queensland government, 2,231 drug-induced deaths were reported in Australia in 2021– the equivalent of five deaths each day.
“That’s 2,231 deaths too many,” Fentiman continues, “and we know this number will continue to grow if we don’t act now.”
In 2019, two people died after consuming drugs at Rabbit Eats Lettuce.
Harm Reduction Australia is contracted to deliver “several” festival-based services in 2024 and 2025 following an open market tender process. The state government has also engaged the University of Queensland to conduct an evaluation of the services and to develop a statewide monitoring process.
Also, through a healthcare partnership, fixed-site services will operate at two locations in south-east Queensland, including one in Bowen Hills, central Brisbane, and “at least one festival-based service” in 2024.
It’s a “step in the right direction in reducing drug-related harm,” Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival organizer Eric Lamir tells the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and, through the process, police have been “extremely supportive” in preparing for the gathering. Data captured from chemical tests will be shared with the festival’s medical staff, which “means our paramedics and doctors will be able to have up-to-date data on what drugs might be circulating at the event.”
The public debate on pill testing in Australia has rumbled on for years, and entered a trial phase for the first time at the Groovin the Moo festival in the Australian Capital Territory in April 2018, where two potentially deadly samples were identified and half the drugs tested were found to contain no psychoactive substances.
Off the back of that trial and others in Canberra, Queensland developed testing protocols, and gave the green light for chemically-checking drugs in February 2023.
With pill testing services rolling out proper at the 15th edition of Rabbits Eat Lettuce, an “important milestone” is notched “in the ongoing efforts of Queensland to reduce drug related harms,” comments a spokesperson for Pill Testing Australia, “and we know the patrons of the festival and their families and friends will greatly appreciate the availability of this vital public health service.”
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A first Thursday night (March 14) show spotlighting a special Vultures performance by ¥$ (Ye + Ty Dolla $ign), plus North West making her debut festival performance, were among the highlights and surprises for fans attending 2024 Rolling Loud California. Holding court for an unprecedented four nights (March 14-17) at Inglewood, Calif.’s Hollywood Park, the annual festival’s stacked deck of headliners also included Nicki Minaj, Post Malone and Future x Metro Boomin.Just as buzzworthy, however, were the additional acts rounding out Rolling Loud’s three full days of programming. Among them: Bryson Tiller, Sexyy Red, Summer Walker, Flo Milli, PartyNextDoor, Don Toliver and Big Sean, as well as Los Angeles rap legends YG and Tyga in a joint performance.
The first Rolling Loud event of 2024 also presented a wide-ranging collection of merchandise inspired by L.A. sports teams, street art, racing culture, anime, skateboarding and more. Curated by Rolling Loud’s director of merchandise Ray Guilbauilt and primarily designed by Prism Works Group, the merch offerings also included collaborations with YG, marking the rapper’s 10th anniversary of his classic album My Krazy Life; Chief Keef’s Glo Gang; a Rolling Loud co-branded belt by BB Simon; and the fest’s continued partnership with Forever 21 for the popular merch activation Bunny’s Bae Bar.
Those unable to attend in person could tune in each day to Rolling Loud’s livestream on its YouTube channel. Presented by Sprite, the fest’s official livestream was hosted by Jazzy of Jazzy’s World (with whom 10-year-old North West, aka Miss Westie, did her first on-camera interview about her forthcoming debut album Elementary School Dropout), Tallie Spencer, Speedy Morman, Bootleg Kev and Hakeem Rowe, among other personalities.
Approaching its 10th anniversary in 2025, Rolling Loud — co-founded by Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif — is heading next to Europe this summer (July 5-7, 2024, near Vienna, Austria), coming back Stateside for Rolling Loud Miami (July 19-21) and then returning to Asia with Rolling Loud Thailand (Nov. 22-24).
Below, check out the photo gallery of memorable moments from Rolling Loud California.
North West
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
North West performs onstage during the “Vultures 1” playback concert during Rolling Loud 2024 the at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 14, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
Nicki Minaj
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/John Cotter
Nicki Minaj at Rolling Loud 2024.
Post Malone
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Post Malone performs onstage during day 2 of The Rolling Loud Festival at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 16, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
Sexyy Red
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Sexyy Red perform onstage during the Rolling Loud Festival at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 15, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
PARTYNEXTDOOR
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/JORDAN KNIGHT
PARTYNEXTDOOR at Rolling Loud 2024.
Flo Milli
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Flo Milli performs onstage during day 2 of The Rolling Loud Festival at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 16, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
Summer Walker
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/JORDAN KNIGHT
Summer Walker at Rolling Loud 2024.
Future and Metro Boomin
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/Hunter Kaufman/@RespectiveCollective
Future and Metro Boomin at Rolling Loud 2024.
Ye
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Ye performs onstage during the “Vultures 1” playback concert during Rolling Loud 2024 the at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 14, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
NLE Choppa
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/AMANDA/@RESPECTIVECOLLECTIVE
NLE Choppa at Rolling Loud 2024.
Don Toliver
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/Raul Corona
Don Toliver at Rolling Loud 2024.
TYGA
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/AMANDA/@RESPECTIVECOLLECTIVE
TYGA at Rolling Loud 2024.
YG
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/AMANDA/@RESPECTIVECOLLECTIVE
YG at Rolling Loud 2024.
Travis Scott & Don Toliver
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Travis Scott and Don Toliver perform onstage during day 3 of Rolling Loud at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 17, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
Ty Dolla $ign
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Ty Dolla $ign performs onstage during day 3 of Rolling Loud at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 17, 2024 in Inglewood, Calif.
RAE SREMMURD
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/Mickey Pierre-Louis/@itchyeyephotos
RAE SREMMURD at Roilling Loud 2024.
Sexyy Red & Chief Keef
Image Credit: Rolling Loud/PRISCILLA RODRIGUEZ
Sexyy Red and Chief Keef at Rolling Loud 2024.