Understanding the music festival experience is a concept that has been addressed for many years. Generation Z is considered to be categorised from the ages of 10-25 and a proportion of this generation can be a large percentage of music festival attendance. As festivals consistently attract new generations the most appealing characteristics can be useful in determining consumer’s experiences and understanding why music festivals are so successful. Music festivals are undoubtedly known for the social opportunities they provide yet as the world was stopped by the pandemic in 2020 the experiences that were available deteriorated quickly. However, virtual music festivals became a viable opportunity for consumers during times such as lockdowns to ensure that not all was lost. Yet as the restrictions of the pandemic are lifting it is unknown how Generation Z perceives these new experiences as the opportunity to get back to normal life is obtainable. Therefore, this study will explore the experience that is had whilst attending face to face and the perceptions surrounding virtual music festivals amongst Generation Z. This will help determine if virtual music festivals are a viable concept within the future or if they have just been beneficial over lockdown. Additionally, it will highlight the experiences that Generation Z wants to understand if virtual music festivals can provide this. The research was collected through both primary and secondary data sources. The primary data was collected through the use of a qualitative approach. A key finding demonstrates that Generation Z has more perceived benefits from attending face to face music festivals. Additionally, where new anxieties have been created over the pandemic, virtual music festivals still may be a viable concept amongst Generation Z. Where technology was perceived to have many benefits the longing for human interaction after such long isolation periods were found to outweigh the new potential experiences.
Key words: Experience, music festivals, virtual, positive, atmosphere
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