Is There any Demand for Music Festival On-Site Laundry Services.

The traditional view of most music festivals is of muddy fields and dirty festival-goers who don’t clean for several days. The modern muti-day festival is now a far more sophisticated and well organised event where staying clean and fresh is more likely the norm. Is the provision of on-site laundry services something that more organisers should consider?

The unpredictable weather conditions experienced at many music festivals can mean that clothes can quickly become dirty and wet. Whether it’s artists, staff, volunteers, vendors or festival-goers the feeling of freshly laundered clean dry clothes can be an uplifting experience in challenging conditions. In addition, there is a better understanding of health and hygiene on music festival sites and clean dry clothes can help maintain hygiene, prevent odors and adverse skin conditions. What are the key considerations for organisers when commissioning laundry facilities for a festival site?  

Potential Laundry Services Users. 
A large music festival may have hundreds of artists, staff and volunteers plus tens of thousands of festival-goers. A dedicated back stage laundry service for artists is not unusual and, in some cases, may even appear on riders. Less common are back stage facilities for staff and volunteers as organisers may suggest they use facilities provided for regular festival-goers. If laundry facilities are installed for festival-goers these may be split between VIP/Glamping attendees and regular festival-goers. Organisers will need to carefully consider if there will be a demand from each of the potential user groups. 

Implementing Laundry Services. 
For back stage and VIP zone organisers may commission a contractor to provide laundry services but for regular festival-goers they may reserve a pitch space for laundry service vendor. Mobile laundry machines or pop-up laundromats do exist and can be ideal installations on remote festival sites. The installation can be either self-service or with the help of an attendant which may be required for busy sites where booking and scheduling will be required. Alternative laundries could be off-site and involve a collect, clean and return service but may be too time-consuming for most. Any on-site laundromat service will consume large volumes of water and electricity along with waste management challenges. This can drive up prices which may be too high for the majority of festival-goers making the installation unprofitable and if the logistical implementation presents too many difficulties organisers may choose not to proceed. 

Sustainability Challenges. 
Laundry machines are power and water hungry making them potentially an unnecessary luxury and combined with waste management issues raises serious concerns regarding their sustainability credentials. Use of detergents can also be problematic and organisers may demand providers of laundry services use eco-friendly detergents for example. In addition, any machines used will need to use the latest green technology for maximum efficiency. A benefit of on-site laundry services for organisers is the potential contribution towards their sustainably objectives by encouraging attendees to clean clothes rather than disposing of dirty clothes often prompted by the use of disposable fast fashion. Having sustainable and efficient laundry solutions on site can enhance attendee satisfaction while aligning with environmental initiatives. 

For festival organisers planning their next 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.

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