Summer Is Coming... But Why Are We Drawn Towards Festivals?

 Why Festivals?   

Speaking anthropologically, festivals exist for religious reasons, celebrating gods together as offerings and possibly displaying our collective obedience and love to those above – but over centuries the idea of a festival has transcended into celebrations of our united consciousnesses and cultures. A way to bring us together without defining who has a seat at the celebration table.  

 

If you remember your junior school history projects, you may remember that in Ancient Greece, celebrations of art culture, music and theatre were commonplace, of course, always in line with celebrating a God (although, I would question whether that was just an early day political PR tool) and from this you could say that music festivals easily derived from this model of ‘Koilon (or Theatron)’.  

 

A lot like the Milton Keynes Bowl that hosted the UK’s first outing and live recording of Greenday’s ‘American Idiot’ album – the Theatron originally was just a stage sat at the bottom of a natural hill dip with gradient slopes for sitting and a good viewpoint... I wonder if at the time they understood how that also impacts the amplification of sound? Most probably. 

  

Over time however, benches and seats were erected to improve the permanence to the model. Something that certainly hasn’t changed (for music festivals especially) is the level of comfort for visiting one. Afterall, the enjoyment of experiencing and connecting with strangers over the enjoyment of your favourite band or artist is far more euphoric than a comfortable chair.  

 

According to Time Magazine - Modern music festivals in the U.S. grew out of the establishment and ethos of Woodstock - Though it was not the first event of its kind (the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals, Milwaukee’s Summerfest and the Monterey Pop Festival predate Woodstock), the 1969 event holds a mythical place within American pop-cultural history because of the DIY and communal spirit of Woodstock.  

 

The best festivals and the ones we LOVE to be involved with still run with this community ethos. Think of the Brentwood Art Trail. As a festival it welcomes people to come together and celebrate their accomplishments together whether they are or not. The small Essex Pride team do the same. We innately want to support community connection and shared values as humans and what better way to do that, than by grabbing a drink and having a chat with someone you're just about to get to know?  


Written by Natalie Bays.



Listen to the full conversation on The Arts Programme, Phoenix 98 FM.


Location: Brentwood CM14, UK

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