The seven stereotypes you will find at any large festival

In any festival, there is a vast landscape of attendees that are easily recognized, and can be categorized into different groups or general stereotypes. Of course, these categorizations vary within a festival so we are going to focus on large-scale festivals. Think of festivals such as Glastonbury or Primavera Sound, where the line-up, and subsequently the crowd, tends to be more eclectic than a festival specializing in say EDM — for example Electric Daisy Carnival. These nuances are harder to distinguish at festivals like this but are still present!

VINCI has compiled seven types of festival goers that you can expect at most large festivals. Do you recognize any of these stereotypes?

1. The Commuter

These attendants are not easily recognizable like the others on the list, but they are certainly a group to consider. The festival commuter is essentially one who likes attending festivals for the music, but not so much for the rest of the experience. Setting up tents, uncomfortable beds and poor toilet conditions are not something they look forward to.

“The Commuter” is easy to identify once you engage with them in conversation — expect this person to inform you that “camping is not for them”. Rather endure a gruesome journey back and forth to the festival, than the grittiness of the festival experience itself.

2. The “raver”

The raver is one that differs per festival you attend. One thing that the “raver” types have in common is that they are there to go all out — they dance non-stop for the duration of the festival. Many ravers can also be identified through the choice of attire, whether its practitioners of the PLUR mantra, finger lights, flashy outfit, etc.

3. The “hippie” type

Every festival has their dose of spiritual and hippie-like individuals. More often than not, these individuals can be found meditating, enjoying mind-altering substances and promoting peace & love around the festival. Additionally, they are easily identified by their “hippie” outfits consisting of baggy clothing, colorful accessories and peace symbols.

4. The camera obsessed

When attending a festival, or event, everyone has witnessed the camera, and social media, obsessed attendee. These individuals rather experience a festival through their camera lens and Instagram feed. It is more important to have “#memories” that they can showcase to their followers, than enjoy the experience itself. There is nothing wrong with taking a couple of videos and photos of the experience, but we must draw the line once it affects other people’s experiences.

Thankfully they have banned selfie sticks at many events claiming that these “wands of narcissism” create too much distraction from the music, and interference for others.

5. The groupie

The groupie is one that is exclusively there to experience the acts they love. These attendants are not recognized by attire, but by their distinct behavior. Expect them to be at the stage hours before the act starts to ensure the “best place” possible. Of course, the best place is subjective — however if being squashed between a fence, security and the stage is your definition of “best place” then so be it.

6. The bro

This type of festival goer is present at any large festival and is impossible to miss. Ever witnessed a group of guys, accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol and nonsensical chat — this is exactly the type we are referring to. Alternatively, they are easily recognized through their choice of attire — topless or tank tops accompanied with a cliché quote like “stay calm and keep drinking”.

7. The old man

The old dude is an essential part of any festival and can come in different formats. They are the ones who have attended the festival for decades and have seen it grow over the years. One way to identify them is by the number of wristbands around their arm. Alternatively, the “the old man” is seen wandering around festival grounds socialising. Much attention is given by curious festival goers who are interested in the stories and experiences they’ve had.

The purpose behind the categorization is to have a bit of fun with stereotypes present at festivals. These are recognizable at almost all large scaled festivals whether we like it or not. Generally speaking, larger festivals have a wider variety of music resulting in a more diverse crowd, whilst smaller festivals tend to focus more on a niche attracting a more homogenous audience. Regardless of the choice of festival, there will always be one of the above characters present!