The Continued Rise of the Grey Festival-goer.

Over the last 5 to 10 years, the demographics of music festival audiences have shifted with an increasing proportion of festival-goers aged 45+. What's driving this growth and how can festival organisers react to this change to maximise revenue to cater for older festival-goers attending their events.

Traditionally attending a music festival was seen as a rite of passage for older teenagers who then proceed to become regular festival-goers. Whilst younger age groups still represent the largest overall segment, older festival-goers are becoming a larger, more influential, and higher spending demographic. The generation of festival goers who embraced the festival scene in the 1990s and early 2000s are now moving into their 50s and 60s. What do festival organisers need to consider to capitalise on this change and balance their offerings to appeal to all age groups.

The Grey Festival-goer.
The typical grey festival-goer persona could be someone in their late 50s who has perhaps retired early and enjoys travelling with a partner or friends who all prioritise comfort and convenience. They have high expectations for quality performances and value safety and experiences over just the music, for example. The fastest growing segment is the 55-to-70-year age group who have high disposable incomes, are probably semi-retired and less price sensitive. The grey festival-goer is more likely to plan and book months in advance and generally select premium offerings.

Changing Music Festival Audience Demographics.
Over the last 10 years music festivals have become more multi-generational with entire families attending, including parents with adult children, for example. The rising costs of operating any music festival are having an impact on the price of festival tickets and the cost of attending, making it more difficult for the younger generation to afford. Not only have ticket prices increased but the cost of travel, accommodation and food and beverages have also risen, making music festival attendance more financially challenging. Older festival-goers generally have higher disposable incomes, making it easier for them to afford the music festival experience, and this shift has resulted in the proportion of festival-goers over 35 doubling in the last 5 years.

Music Genres Driving Growth.
Whilst the grey festival-goer is now making up a higher percentage of ticket buyers and audiences, a key reason is that they have probably spent the last 30 years raising families and concentrating on their careers. Once they get the chance to retire or semi-retire, there is an urge to re-live their younger years through music. This generation grew up with festivals in the 1990s and early 2000s and now with more free time and higher disposable incomes are choosing to rediscover the music festival. The rise in festival organisers curating more legacy and nostalgic music genre artists is helping to feed this demand. Specific genres popular with grey festival-goers are rock, indie, heritage pop, country and EDM.

Popular Music Festival Options.
Traditionally festival organisers offered a relatively low number of VIP packages because the demand simply wasn't there. With higher demand from the grey festival-goer organisers have to provide more options and facilities that cater for their specific requirements. Comfort during festival attendance has become a major selling point with ever more luxurious glamping, premium toilets and bathrooms, plus hospitality packages that align with the older generation being offered. Organisers should be focusing on designing experiences that have comfort as a focus and common add-on options now include more seating with shade and weather protection, high-quality sanitation facilities, health and wellness facilities and safer less crowded viewing experiences. The grey festival-goer doesn't necessarily want more luxury but are seeking great experiences which can be as simple as priority parking, fast track access and providing quality food and beverage options where they can have a sit-down meal rather than the obligatory burger wrapped in tissue paper, for example.

For festival organisers planning their next event 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, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Caleb Oquendo via Pexels

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