Cred vs Spectacle: Setting Your Festival’s Curatorial Ethos

In the festival world, every event has to strike a balance between credibility and spectacle. Some festivals pride themselves on underground authenticity—drawing devoted music aficionados to obscure warehouses or remote forests with cutting-edge acts. Others lean into full-blown showmanship—dominating massive stages with pyrotechnics, superstar headliners, and viral moments crafted for social media. Finding your place on this spectrum is crucial. It defines your festival’s identity and shapes decisions from lineup curation to marketing and partnerships. A clear curatorial ethos isn’t just philosophy; it’s a practical guide that helps you grow in size and production value without betraying the trust of your community.

Curatorial Ethos: Credibility vs. Spectacle

Curatorial ethos is essentially the guiding identity of your festival’s content and experience. On one end of the spectrum is underground credibility – a focus on authenticity, niche genres, and community values. On the other end is mainstage spectacle – a focus on mass appeal, big productions, and broad excitement. Neither end is “right” or “wrong”, but successful festival producers know exactly where their event lies on this spectrum and set guardrails accordingly.

• Underground Credibility: Festivals that lean cred prioritize artistic integrity and subculture credibility over commercial trends. The lineups feature emerging artists, local heroes, and genre pioneers rather than just chart-toppers. Venues might be unconventional (e.g. repurposed warehouses, desert oases, or intimate clubs) to preserve vibe. Marketing is often grassroots – word-of-mouth, community radio, niche blogs – because attracting the right crowd matters more than sheer numbers. Sponsors, if any, are carefully selected and low-profile. The upside? You build deep trust and loyalty among a core community. The challenge is scaling up attendance or revenue without diluting that authenticity.
• Mainstage Spectacle: Festivals on the spectacle side aim for wide appeal and wow-factor. They book globally famous headliners, build massive stages with state-of-the-art lights and fireworks, and partner with big brands to fund top-tier production. Venues are chosen for capacity – stadiums, fairgrounds, city parks – places that can handle tens of thousands. Marketing is broad and buzz-driven: social media blitzes, influencer promos, and billboards. The advantage here is scale – big ticket sales, press coverage, and mainstream buzz. The risk, however, is appearing too commercial or “selling out”, which can alienate hardcore fans if not managed properly.

Most festivals fall somewhere in between these extremes. For instance, a mid-sized electronic festival might have mostly underground DJs but still bring one or two popular acts or interactive art installations to elevate the experience. The key is consistency. Deciding where your ethos lies – and communicating that stance – will set expectations for your audience. It becomes a promise: whether you promise an avant-garde cultural journey for 5,000 people or an all-out carnival for 100,000, you must deliver in a way that feels authentic.

Real-world examples: On the credibility side, consider events like Movement Detroit in the US or Bass Coast in Canada, which spotlight underground electronic music and local talent over radio hits. In Europe, festivals such as Dekmantel (Netherlands) and Nachtdigital (Germany) have built reputations for cutting-edge curation and intimate scale. On the spectacle side, think of Tomorrowland in Belgium or Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Mexico and Las Vegas – these mega-festivals boast giant stages, A-list headliners, and dazzling effects to wow tens of thousands. Some festivals effectively straddle both worlds: Sónar in Spain, for instance, pairs innovative electronic artists and multimedia art (credibility) with a city-wide, multi-venue spectacle that draws international crowds; Glastonbury in the UK mixes underground stages and hidden venues alongside its star-studded Pyramid Stage. The spectrum is broad – knowing where you stand on it will inform every decision going forward.

Defining Your Festival’s Ethos (and Guardrails)

Once you know where you aspire to sit on the cred–spectacle spectrum, it’s time to codify it. Define your festival’s ethos clearly – this could be a written mission statement or a set of core principles that your team refers to for every decision. For example, you might declare “Our festival champions avant-garde electronic music and community values over commercial trends,” or “We celebrate immersive showmanship and inclusive party vibes for a broad audience.”

Crucially, translate these lofty ideas into practical guardrails. Guardrails are like rules-of-thumb or boundaries that keep your curation and production on track. They ensure that as opportunities (and temptations) arise – a chance to book a viral pop act, a lucrative but off-brand sponsor, a flashy production idea – you have criteria to judge if it fits your ethos.

Some practical guardrails might include:
– Lineup Composition: Set a guideline for booking. (E.g. “At least 70% of our lineup will be underground or emerging talent,” or “We will always reserve a stage for local artists from our region.”) If you lean toward credibility, your guardrail might be not booking more than one or two mainstream headliners, or requiring headliners to fit a certain genre or spirit. If you lean toward spectacle, your guardrails might involve balancing big names with a few niche acts to keep cred, or ensuring any pop artist bookings are remixed into a festival-style performance that suits the show.
– Production Values: Define how far you’ll go with staging and effects. An underground-focused festival may cap production to maintain an intimate vibe – for instance, focusing on top-notch sound systems and minimalistic stage design rather than giant LED walls. A spectacle-driven event might conversely pledge to introduce at least one new jaw-dropping stage design or show element each year. The key is to do it in line with your identity (e.g. a psychedelic festival choosing mind-bending art installations instead of pyrotechnics, if fireworks don’t fit the culture).
– Marketing Tone: Establish the voice and channels that match your ethos. A boutique festival might avoid hyperbolic advertising and instead use community-focused messaging (highlighting culture, values, “for the love of music”). A large commercial festival will hype the experience heavily, but even then, guardrails can help – for example, no false promises or overhyping things you can’t deliver. Maintain honesty to keep trust.
– Venue & Capacity: Choose venues that reinforce ethos. If intimacy and cred are your brand, you might limit capacity or pick a characterful location (like an industrial venue, a nature retreat, or culturally significant site) rather than an anonymous field. If going for scale, ensure the venue can handle it while offering flexibility to create smaller pockets or themed areas so attendees can still find their tribe within the larger crowd.
– Financial Decisions: Use your ethos as a compass for budgeting and revenue choices. For instance, an underground festival might operate on tighter margins by design – pouring more budget into quality audio and attendee experience than into superstar fees. Meanwhile, a big-tent festival chasing spectacle will allocate heavily to headline talent and production. Neither is wrong, but stick to a model that suits your risk tolerance. Guardrails here could be things like setting a cap on artist fees as a percentage of budget (to avoid overspending on one name if credibility is key), or deciding not to implement certain revenue tactics if they conflict with your values. (For example, if your community prides itself on fairness, you might avoid surge pricing or VIP up-sells that create an elitist feel. Many festival organizers choose ticketing platforms like Ticket Fairy that offer transparent pricing without dynamic price hikes, aligning with a fair ethos for fans.)

Applying Your Ethos to Festival Decisions

Defining an ethos is only step one – living it out through concrete decisions is the ongoing challenge. Every aspect of your festival planning should reference these guardrails. Let’s look at key areas where your curatorial ethos needs to shine through:

Lineup and Booking Policies

Who you book is the clearest expression of your ethos. Attendees will remember a festival by its lineup curation above all. Some guidelines to consider:

• Stay True to Genre/Community: If your festival built its name in a specific scene (say, underground techno, indie electronica, drum & bass in New Zealand, etc.), honor that foundation. Continually booking the artists that represent the heart of that community – including local and legacy acts – will reaffirm to fans that you’re not abandoning them for the latest trend. For example, Movement Festival in Detroit (USA) remains focused on techno and house legends and up-and-comers from Detroit and beyond, reinforcing its credibility as a home for true electronic enthusiasts year after year.
• Smart Headliner Choices: This is where credibility can easily be won or lost. If you lean underground, you might limit the number of big-name headliners, or pick headliners known for artistry and influence rather than just radio hits. Festivals like Dekmantel or Bass Coast have thrived by booking influential artists (even if not mainstream-famous) that command respect in the community, instead of chasing every Billboard-topping DJ. If you lean mainstream, you’ll of course book top talent – but do it in a way that still feels coherent. For instance, a large festival might ensure that even its pop or crossover headliners fit the event’s overall theme or genre blend. Glastonbury in the UK has brought in hip-hop and pop superstars (Jay-Z, Beyoncé, etc.) alongside rock and electronica, but they frame these choices as part of a broad musical ethos (and often give those artists special set opportunities to connect with the Glasto spirit). Preparing the audience through messaging helps; when Glastonbury booked Jay-Z in 2008, the organizers defended the choice as expanding musical horizons, and Jay-Z’s performance ended up winning over many skeptics.
• Balance Innovation and Expectation: Every year, there’s pressure to keep the lineup fresh and exciting. Use your ethos as a filter for what “exciting” means. An underground-leaning festival might create excitement by discovering the next big thing (booking an international artist’s first performance in the region, or an exclusive live set). A spectacle-leaning festival might do it by securing a rare back-to-back set between two superstar DJs, or a reunion performance. In all cases, don’t betray core expectations: if your loyal attendees expect a certain style or quality, deliver that first before layering on experiments. Introduce new genres or big mainstream acts gradually and intentionally, so it doesn’t jar the core attendees. For example, a boutique house music festival in Australia could add one bass-music act as a late-night special after cultivating a bass-loving side community—rather than suddenly scattering bass DJs throughout the main lineup which might confuse the house music faithful.
• Communication is Key: When you do take a booking risk (like adding a more commercial artist to an underground lineup or vice versa), frame it for your audience. Explain via social media or a press release what the intention is (“We’ve invited [Big Artist] for a special set you won’t see anywhere else, to create a once-in-a-lifetime moment within our festival’s vibe”). By being transparent that you’re not shifting ethos but rather enhancing the experience, you’ll earn respect even from skeptical long-time attendees.

Influencer Partnerships and Media

In the age of social media, festivals often amplify their reach with influencer partnerships and media collaborations. But nothing can feel more inauthentic to fans than seeing their beloved underground fest promoted by a random celebrity who has no real connection to the scene. Here’s how to approach influencers and promotion through your ethos:

• Choose Authentic Advocates: The influencers or media personalities associated with your festival should genuinely align with its culture. For an underground or niche festival, this might mean partnering with respected bloggers, local radio DJs, or micro-influencers who are actual fans. A techno festival in Germany might collaborate with a Resident Advisor journalist or a YouTube channel known for underground music, rather than a generic lifestyle influencer. Conversely, a big-tent EDM festival in Singapore or Las Vegas could work with popular music vloggers or dance music TikTokers – but ideally those who truly enjoy EDM and will create content that resonates with festival-goers. Authenticity is everything in influencer marketing (www.heylillian.com) – an influencer who “gets” your festival will naturally convey enthusiasm that their followers trust.
• Set Guidelines for Content: Don’t be afraid to brief your influencer partners on do’s and don’ts that reflect your ethos. For example, if your brand prides itself on community and art, ask influencers to highlight those aspects (like the art installations, or the community projects your festival supports) rather than just glamour shots of VIP lounges. Encourage them to use the festival’s language and avoid overly staged or promotional tone. Influencers who spam their feeds with product placement and off-topic content can hurt your image. So pick collaborators who are willing to co-create genuine stories about the event.
• Leverage Artists and Insiders: Often the best promoters of a festival are the artists playing it and the community itself. An ethos-driven festival might emphasize content like artist interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at preparation, or fan testimonials over slick ads. This not only feels more real but also reinforces community ownership. For instance, Boomtown Fair in the UK (a festival with a strong thematic ethos) produces mini-documentaries and social media posts by performers and stage designers to engage fans, rather than relying solely on outside influencers.
• Global and Local Voices: If you’re aiming for international appeal, balance influencer marketing between global reach and local relevance. A festival in Indonesia wanting global EDM fans might engage a famous international DJ to shout it out, but also involve Southeast Asian music influencers to ensure regional fans hear about it in a culturally relevant way. Align this with your ethos: e.g. a festival with an eco-conscious ethos might work with environmental activists or eco-travel bloggers as ambassadors, signaling its values consistently.

Sponsorship and Brand Activations

Sponsorships are a double-edged sword. They can provide crucial funding and enhance the attendee experience if done right – or they can stick out like a sore thumb and erode trust. Your ethos should act as a filter for which brands you partner with and how they show up on site and online:

• Align with Like-Minded Brands: Evaluate potential sponsors for fit with your festival’s image and audience. A misaligned sponsor can cause backlash (bulldogbash.co.uk). (Imagine an alternative music festival suddenly promoting a fast-food chain heavily – attendees might roll their eyes at best, or revolt at worst.) Instead, seek sponsors that share some element of your ethos: a vegan food festival partnering with plant-based food companies, a music festival focused on technology teaming up with a cool audio gear brand, or a festival known for its eco-initiatives working with sustainable products. When the partnership makes sense, festival-goers are much more accepting of the presence. They might even appreciate it if the sponsor adds value – like free water stations from a water filter company at a summer festival, or phone charging lounges by a tech sponsor that genuinely helps attendees.
• Co-Creative Activations: The best sponsor activations enhance the festival environment rather than distract from it. Work with sponsors on ideas that integrate into the festival’s culture. For example, at an artsy electronic festival in Australia or New Zealand, a sponsor might fund a creative chill-out zone or art car instead of just hanging banners everywhere. At a high-energy dance festival, a brand might host a neon-painted stage or interactive game that fits the party atmosphere. Always ask: Will this activation make attendees’ experience better, without pulling them out of the moment? If yes, it’s likely a good fit.
• Maintain Some No-Go Zones: It’s wise to decide what you won’t do for sponsorship, no matter the money. Burning Man is an extreme example – it prohibits any corporate sponsorship or advertising on-site to preserve a purely participant-driven experience (journal.burningman.org). While most commercial festivals can’t go that far, you can still set limits. You might restrict overt signage (no giant logos on your main stage video screen, for instance), or limit PA announcements so that even sponsored messages are subtle. Many festivals refuse sponsorship from industries that contradict their values – for instance, a wellness-oriented festival might decline alcohol or junk food sponsors, even if they’re big spenders, to keep the vibe coherent.
• Transparency with Your Community: If your long-running community-focused festival starts bringing in more commercial sponsors to support growth, communicate that to your audience in the right way. Highlight how sponsorships help improve the festival (better stages, kept ticket prices stable, etc.) and choose branding that feels at home. Some festivals publish sustainability or community impact reports that include how partners contributed positively. When fans see that you’re using sponsorships to enhance what they love – not to cash out at their expense – they’ll remain loyal. For example, Shambhala in Canada famously runs without corporate sponsors to maintain its underground ethos, funding everything from ticket revenue; attendees know this and it reinforces their trust. On the other hand, a festival like Tomorrowland partners with many brands (from airlines to soft drinks), but it integrates them into the fantastical theme (e.g. themed stages or experiences) such that the overall magic stays intact and attendees accept it as part of the spectacle.

Maintaining Community Trust Amid Growth

Every successful festival dreams of growing – bigger stages, larger audiences, more spectacular shows. But growth must be managed carefully to avoid alienating the very community that made the festival possible. Trust is earned over years and can be lost in an instant if the experience fundamentally changes for the worse. Here are strategies to grow while keeping your core audience on board:

• Scale Gradually and Intentionally: The best festivals increase their scale in stages, not overnight. If you jump from a 2,000-person event to a 20,000-person spectacle in one year, even with the best intentions, attendees may feel the culture got lost. Gradual growth allows you to learn and adapt logistics and culture at a manageable pace. Many festivals also cap their attendance below the absolute maximum to preserve comfort and vibe. For example, a festival might opt to sell out at 15,000 even if 20,000 could fit, ensuring shorter lines and room to dance – attendees notice and appreciate this care.
• Preserve Core Elements: Identify what elements of your festival attendees love most, and protect those as you expand. If it’s a beloved small stage that showcases experimental genres, keep it even when you add a huge mainstage. If it’s the communal camping experience or the beautiful venue that defines the festival, don’t sacrifice it when you scale up. Dekmantel in the Netherlands, for instance, has grown significantly from its early days yet consciously maintains a close-knit stage layout and community atmosphere that’s often lost in larger events (mixmag.asia). They upgraded sound systems and added creative stages over time, but kept the intimate “multiple small dancefloors in the woods” feeling that fans cherish.
• Communicate Changes: If you need to implement a major change – a new venue, increased ticket prices, adding an extra day or weekend – be upfront with your community about why. Enthusiastically share the benefits of the change (better sound, more space, big artist opportunities, etc.) but also acknowledge concerns. When Electric Forest festival in the US experimented with expanding to two weekends, organizers later reverted to a single weekend after feedback, explaining it was to “keep the magic of the forest alive” and respect the local community’s capacity. That transparency and willingness to listen earned them kudos from fans, who felt heard and valued.
• Invest in Experience, Not Just Production: There’s a difference between adding value and adding hype. Pouring money into giant LED screens but neglecting basic amenities (water, toilets, sound quality) will break trust quickly. Loyal attendees care about how the festival feels more than how it looks on a sizzle reel. Successful large festivals often invest as much in infrastructure and comfort as in eye-candy. A good mantra: under-promise and over-deliver. Don’t tout “the biggest fireworks ever” unless you’re absolutely sure you can deliver something impressive and safe. Instead, surprise your crowd with unannounced art performances, improved facilities, or small personal touches that show you care. These create positive buzz and reinforce that growth isn’t coming at the expense of attendee well-being.
• Keep Your Ear to the Ground: As you grow, actively solicit feedback from your community. Use post-event surveys, social media polls, and street-team conversations to gauge how changes are received. Maybe your newer attendees loved the spectacular new stage, but veteran fans missed the old chillout area that got removed. Showing that you listen and adjust builds trust. Some festivals hold community town halls or forums online to discuss plans and get fan input – a practice that can turn your most passionate attendees into ambassadors rather than skeptics.
• Remember Your Origins: Symbolic gestures can go a long way. As you reach new heights, continue to honor the festival’s roots. This could mean inviting back the artists who played in the early days, preserving traditions (like an opening ceremony or a local cultural element), or simply sharing the story of how the festival started in your marketing. It reminds everyone – including your team – that while the festival evolves, its soul remains the same. Festivals that maintain an authentic narrative are far less likely to be accused of “selling out” even as they scale.

By focusing on these principles, festivals around the world have managed to expand dramatically while strengthening their bond with fans. Whether it’s a niche electronic gathering in Mexico blossoming into an international destination event, or a regional rave in Australia growing into a multi-day festival, the ones that succeed long-term are those that never lose sight of the ethos that set them apart in the first place.

In summary, setting your curatorial ethos is about knowing the heart and soul of your festival and using it as a north star. It guides every choice – who graces your stages, who partners with your brand, and how you wow your audience. By deciding where you stand between cred and spectacle, and putting guardrails in place, you create a cohesive experience that resonates. That consistency builds a loyal community of fans who trust that, year after year, your festival will deliver what it promises in its own unique way.

The next generation of festival producers can learn from those before them: whether you’re organizing a 500-person underground rave in a warehouse in Berlin or a 100,000-strong multi-stage extravaganza in Las Vegas, clarity of ethos is key. It’s the buffer against fleeting trends and the antidote to selling out. With a strong curatorial ethos, you can grow and innovate without losing the authenticity that defines your event. And ultimately, that authenticity is what turns a one-off event into a legacy and a casual attendee into a lifelong fan.

Key Takeaways

• Know Your Identity: Clearly define where your festival sits between underground credibility and mainstream spectacle. Write down your ethos and use it as a guiding mission.
• Set Guardrails: Establish concrete policies (for booking, production, marketing, etc.) that keep decisions aligned with your ethos. These guardrails prevent you from making off-brand choices in the heat of planning.
• Curate Consistently: Book lineups that reflect your ethos every year. Introduce new genres or big-name artists carefully and in a way that won’t alienate your core audience.
• Authentic Promotion: Choose influencers, media partners, and marketing channels that align with your festival’s culture. Authentic voices and genuine storytelling will always outperform hype that feels forced.
• Smart Sponsorships: Partner with sponsors that complement your festival’s image and values. Integrate sponsor activations thoughtfully so they enhance the experience rather than disrupt it. Avoid deals that clash with your community’s values.
• Grow With Care: Expand your festival’s scale and production value gradually. Preserve the elements that your audience loves most (venue vibe, community feel, etc.) even as you add new features.
• Engage Your Community: Maintain open communication with your fan base. Be transparent about changes and listen to feedback. Keeping your community involved fosters loyalty and trust.
• Stay True as You Succeed: Success isn’t just about getting bigger – it’s about getting better while staying true to your roots. A strong curatorial ethos will ensure that the bigger your festival gets, the stronger its soul remains.