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Winter Music Festival Options.

Andy Robertson

The traditional music festival takes place during the summer months with sun and heat which ensures that inclement weather does not impact on the festival organisation. For those keen on experiencing music festivals during the winter months what options are available for festival-goers keen to keep the party going. 


There are numerous challenges for festival organisers hosting a music festival during the winter months with additional considerations for weather conditions and artist availability. There is a mixture of events during winter that festival-goers can consider including ski resorts, regular festivals or travelling to countries with winter sun and warmth.

Ski and Snow Festivals. 
In Europe and North America the ski resort music festival has become a regular fixture during the winter months. Top music festivals include:  

  • Rock the Pistes - Portes du Soleil, France - March.
  • Tomorrowland - Alpe d’Huez, France - March.
  • Snowboxx - Avoriaz, France - March.
  • Zermatt Unplugged - Zermat, Switzerland - April.
  • Snowbombing Festival - Mayrhofen, Austria - April.
  • The Brits - Laax, Switzerland - April.
  • Rise Festival - Les 2 Alpes, France - December.
  • SnowGlobe - South Lake Tahoe, California, USA.
  • Snowbombing - Sun Peaks, Canada.
  • World Ski & Snowboard Festival - Whistler, Canada.
  • WinterWonderGrass - Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.

Holding an event in a ski resort presents challenges particularly for equipment than can fail in freezing conditions. In addition, the transportation logistics for contractors, equipment and artists can be problematic with poor access roads than can become impassable in certain conditions. However, these potential issues have seemingly been overcome as ski resort music festivals continue to operate every year and are always popular among festival-goers who are combining the events with their skiing holidays. 

Regular Music Festivals. 
For festival-goers seeking a regular music festival but have no interest in winter sports or travelling far and are prepared to put up with cold weather and potential travel logistics issues there are two festivals of note.  

  • Iceland Airwaves - Reykjavik, Iceland - November.
  • Igloofest - Montreal, Canada - January.

Whilst the Iceland Airwaves festival is hosted mostly within indoor venues the Igloofest is almost exclusively outdoors.

Warmer Winter Destinations.
Heading to countries with warmer climates over the winter months of the northern hemisphere is a good way to experience a more traditional summer music festival when a home country is cold wet and windy. Highlights include:
 

  • Popload Festival - Sao Paulo, Brazil - November.
  • Visa for Music - Rabat, Morocco - November.
  • Your Paradise Fiji - Mamanucas Islands, Fiji - December.
  • Rakastella - Miami, Florida - December.
  • Full Moon Parties - Various in Thailand - October to January.

Most of the festivals mentioned above have been running for many years but festival-goers should check if they are still going ahead given the current coronavirus pandemic surges and obvious consequences. Travel restrictions, procedures and quarantine requirements are constantly changing on a daily basis and anyone intending to travel should regularly keep themselves up to date.

For festival organisers planning their winter events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

Andy Robertson
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