With more festivals than ever before, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between the "best" festivals unless you're set on seeing a specific band or bands you love. In the absence of that, quantity of acts and headliner-level artists playing is another way to think about festival value. The problem with that approach, though, is that amidst the competitive festival marketplace, every brand name festival has a ton of great acts.
Again, unless you're locked in on seeing, say, Ozzy Ozboure at Voodoo on Halloween night, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between increasingly standardized mix of artists. The formula for success seems to be driven by a mix of old-guard legends like Paul McCartney, Ozzy and AC/DC, EDM impresarios like Deadmus5 and Zedd, modern-day headliners like Drake or Zac Brown Band, and a long list of hopeful up and comers. Along the way, there are also headliners from eras gone by, like Third Eye Blind and Snoop Dogg (who in addition to performing at Firefly, headlined his own Sweetwater420 festival). Whichever era or genre you're interested in, there's a virtually endless list of options for music lovers this summer. To help navigate the remainder of your summer festival planning TiqIQ has put together a list of 11 values amongst the biggest festival this summer, past and future. Below we've listed out the value per band, found by diving the cost of a face price ticket by the amount of artists scheduled to perform.
Wakarusa in Arkansas took the award for the cheapest overall, at just $1.48 per artist, while Rock in Rio in Vegas was the priciest, at $8.28 for each act, and there is everything in between. In most cases, however, the cheapest cost per artist also means the most expensive ticket.
Which festival gets you the most bang for your buck?
1. Wakarusa at $1.48 per artist: The Arkansas-based festival saw top headlining acts like Ben Harper, Major Lazer, and The Roots this year. Overall, 138 bands played the festival.
2. Coachella at $1.74 per artist: Known for its larger-than-life desert experience, California-based Coachella stacked their 216-artist roster with acts like AC/DC, Jack White, and Drake.
3. Austin City Limits at $1.77 per artist: Consistent to many of its competitors, ACL will feature 141 artists like the Foo Fighters, Florence + The Machine, and The Weeknd come October.
4. Lollapalooza at $2.04 per artist: This popular Chicago experience will host some of the greatest names in music including the legendary Paul McCartney, Sam Smith, and Metallica. A total of 135 acts will play the weekend event.
5. Voodoo at $2.11 per artist: The New Orleans Halloween experience will showcase an eclectic lineup including Zac Brown Band, Ozzy Osbourne, and Modest Mouse. Although slightly smaller in size, the 71 diverse acts make Voodoo an essential festival experience.