Festival season is in full swing, and from coast to coast, millions of music fans are turning out. But for many attendees, those must-see shows come at a cost – and not just the sticker price.
Whenever mass amounts of people are gathered in one place, bad behavior is sure to follow, but some offenses are worse than others. To get a feel for what bugs festival-goers the most, Four Loko conducted an etiquette survey of 1815 veteran attendees, asking them to rate acts of misconduct on a scale from one to 10 and ranking the averages accordingly.
Coming in at number one – no pun intended – was peeing outside of the porta-potties, a “disgusting” habit that topped the list with a 7.2. Of the specific festivals in question, attendees reported that New York’s Governor’s Ball had the most offenders, followed by Shaky Knees in Atlanta and Boston Calling in Massachusetts.
Holding up signs, smelly bodies, and moshing and crowd-surfing tied for second at 7.0, with sneaking in or sharing bracelets rounding out the top five. Further complaints included taking a video during a set (“that’s so 2015”), pushing to the front during a set (“the worst kind of music fans”), and public displays of affection (“don’t care, I’m just here to rock”).
Then there were the behaviors that didn’t prompt strong reactions one way or the other. Most survey participants were unbothered by the skimpy outfits that come standard with festival fashion, while the concept of cultural appropriation was mainly met with a shrug. Singing along loudly was the least bothersome behavior noted, which tracks, given that the music is the real reason people are drawn to the festival scene.
Looking to enjoy the tunes without holding your breath? You’ll want to steer clear of the fetid crowds at Pitchfork in Chicago. New York’s Electric Zoo offers the best chance at a hookup, but watch out for flailing limbs – that’s also where you’ll find the highest percentage of crowd surfers. For the friendliest audience, try Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas, while SXSW offers the cleanest festival environment.
For the full report, visit fourloko.com.
