Handling the Post Festival Blues.

For most people the autumn and winter months mean the end of festival season and a return to normality. This is also a time to recover and look forward to next year’s events but what are the typical symptoms and how can individuals prepare themselves and fully recover in the 12 months between their favourite festival.

Experiencing the post festival blues has been well documented over the years and is common amongst anyone attending large scale annual events. There are however, some significant differences for festival-goers due to the nature of a music festival compared to a big sporting event for example. Music festivals tend to last 3 or 4 days and most visitors stay on site which can resemble a small-town community with thousands living together in close proximity for the duration of the event. There is also the obvious likelihood of over indulgence of alcohol and other substances that can impact on levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain.

Typical Symptoms. 
Festival-goers often cite a feeling of emptiness, lethargy and even mild depression in the days and weeks following attendance at a music festival. It is not unusual for ticket buyers to get more excited about a festival in the months leading up to the event making the post event period difficult to handle. Energy levels will be depleted after a weekend of late nights, and extreme highs of music, friends, and atmosphere making it challenging to return to a 'normal' life.

Festival-goers Handling Post Festival Blues. 
The return to normality after a festival can be difficult but taking rest and eating healthy foods are preferred routes to recovery. Finding a new interest, passion or hobby can also help to re-focus the mind and prevent dwelling on the festival experience. Many festival-goers also start planning next year's festival whether that’s registering for early bird tickets or buying tickets over the winter months. Booking for next year's event gives regular festival-goers something to look forward to over the coming year with positive anticipation.

Organising Teams Handling Post Festival Blues. 
The impact of post festival blues can affect organising teams too and many organisers will insist that their teams take time off after the festival has wound down. Getting away from the chaos usually associated with organising a festival is crucial to recovery and many take holidays overseas returning to work in the autumn when the event organising cycle starts again.

Post festival blues affects different people in different ways whether they are festival-goers or part of the organising team. Everyone came together with a community spirit and mostly common purpose. There are well documented techniques and processes to minimise the impact of feeling down after a music festival easily found with a quick online search.

For festival organisers planning their 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 MART PRODUCTION via Pexels

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