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Beach Based Music Festival Logistics.

Andy Robertson

There have been some iconic beach-based music festivals and a number of infamous ones too. Selecting a beach as a music festival venue may be very appealing but the logistics of organising an event located on a beach location brings with it a whole new set of logistical parameters that can easily make or break the event. 


Ask anyone about an iconic beach music event or festival and the answer is likely to include Fat Boy Slim’s Brighton Beach concert or Fyre Festival. The Fat Boy Slim event on Brighton Beach in 2002 attracted about 250,000 fans and although it did cause chaos in the surrounding area and resulted in about 100 injuries was considered an iconic beach event. Conversely the Fyre Festival on a remote island beach was a disaster from start to finish. Both these events are examples of how challenging it can be to select a beach as an event venue. 

Access and Licensing.
Many beaches may have confusing rules and regulations regarding ownership and use and these factors need to be thoroughly explored in selecting a beach location. Even private beaches may have to allow public access so it can be difficult to control and maintain security. Applications for required licensing will need to made with all these considerations in mind particularly when access to beaches could involve closure of local roads to allow for deliveries of contractors in towns next to a selected beach. In addition, how will a small beach resort town handle the sudden inflow of thousands for festival-goers?

Weather.
Aside from the usual adverse weather often associated with summer festivals a beach location adds additional concerns. A thorough examination of local tidal patterns needs to be undertaken plus the effects of shifting sands and other additional hazards. If rain does arrive it can have a very different impact on a sandy beach than it does on a solid ground field. 

Facilities. 
There are significant limiting factors in providing facilities for thousands of festival-goers on a beach location. Any neighbouring town will have limited public toilet and accommodation facilities so temporary ones will need to be installed on the beach. It is generally not possible to have a campsite on the beach itself so a nearby field or campsite will have to be sourced.

For many event organisers selecting a beach venue is going to be just too challenging logistically with environmental, licensing and access issues to contend with. Some organisers have perfected hosting beach festivals and music events and for festival-goes they provide a different dimension to the overall festival experience. The more successful beach venue events have overcome many of the logistical challenges by sticking to single day events which negates the need to provide accommodation.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Osvaldo Coelho Jr. from Pexels

Andy Robertson
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