FESTIVAL SEASON 2025
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A t the start of 2025, the put a serious question mark over the viability of some of the smaller events, operators were also faced with rising costs across the board. The need to book headline acts further and further in advance – as highlighted in a piece for The Guardian from January – was also creating fresh existential angst for promoters and organisers. But, as often tends to be the case, once festival season arrived the overall feeling was rather different. True, not all events were sold, while low sales – or, in a few cases, extreme weather – led to some cancellations. signs for this year’s festival schedule weren’t looking entirely auspicious. Amidst a cost-of-living crisis that Regardless, the overwhelming sense was that music-lovers were treated to a slew of events that have underlined the unrivalled power and immersion of the festival experience; in the UK alone, this included a classic Glastonbury (political controversies aside) featuring Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX, while during one weekend alone BST Hyde Park hosted two sold-out Sabrina Carpenter shows and Villa Park in Birmingham held a spectacular one-dayer – Back to the Beginning – that saw Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath bow out in style – supported by an incredible array of acts they’d influenced. (And we haven’t even mentioned the opening night of that historic Oasis reunion yet…) The need for a temporary escape from the dreadful news cycle could be one reason why the festival season felt especially meaningful to people this year. But it’s also important to note that the festival experience continues to evolve, not least in its use of cutting-edge and often immersive AV. From deploying the latest full-frame cinema cameras to next- gen lighting and LED panels, there’s been much to catch the eye of the tech-savvy festival-goer. GLASTONBURY It’s only fitting that we kick off this year’s round up with a trip to Worthy Farm, the site of arguably one of the world’s most famous music festivals, Glastonbury. The whopping 900-acre site is proliferated with stages, some of which stand dazzlingly tall, while others remain thrillingly hidden, each year bringing with them a host of innovative AV. Following its successful and viral debut last year, the Dragonfly landed back in the Arcadia field for another round of pulsating dance sets. Towering above the crowds, the 13m-wide sculpture is built around a repurposed military helicopter, transformed into a living, breathing audio-visual creature brought to life with projection, LED and lighting in perfect harmony. This year marked the first full deployment of Hive on the Dragonfly. The project – a collaboration between Arcadia, Cucumber Productions, Video
Constantly evolving, this year Coachella’s open-air Do Lab stage employed Meyer Sound equipment: Panther loudspeakers, 2100-LFC subwoofers Ultra-X40 and Ultra
X80s to achieve maximum bass
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