Music Festival Culture

Music Festival Culture: It's All About Being Yourself

There’s a certain atmosphere at a music festival that you just don’t get anywhere else. It’s a collective energy that everyone recognizes when they feel it, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. How can you define it other than “music festival culture?”

There are a few other terms that fit: authenticity. Self-expression. Liberation. Why have music festivals become zones of freedom for people from so many walks of life?

Why Music Festivals and Self-Expression Go Hand in Hand

When you think about music and the way we interact with it, it’s no surprise that an atmosphere that literally surrounds you with music leads you to feel more like yourself than anywhere else. Music speaks to a natural part of all of us. Something about the vibrations and musical tones, whether they’re from voices or instruments, just resonates with us and makes us all feel seen and understood.

This primal bond with music is as universal as anything could be. It speaks to everyone the same way, no matter their lifestyle, socioeconomic level, political beliefs, or cultural backgrounds, great music will make anyone feel more alive.

When we’re just embracing and enjoying music, it takes us out of our constantly busy, anxious, and calculating minds. When that happens, we feel liberated and free to just go with the flow and follow our whims. When everyone around you is freely expressing themselves because of that musical inspiration, you can’t help but feel free to let your authentic self out to play too.

The History of Self-Liberating Music Festivals

The rampant self-expression at music festivals is nothing new, but there have been notable stage-setting festivals in history that contributed to the overall free and accepting nature of these events. 

Of course, we’re talking about the legendary Woodstock festival of 1969. Despite the fact that the United States was in utter political turmoil, people from all over flooded this monumental festival. Even in the face of shortages of shelter, food, and water, people came together, enjoyed the music, and simply let themselves be.

Since then, music festivals have become known for their wholeheartedly accepting nature and for giving people an outlet for self-expression. From outfits to hairstyles to body paints, people at music festivals today use their bodies as a way to be who they are and celebrate every aspect of themselves.

Part of this has involved blurring the line between lingerie and “outdoor clothes.” Sexuality is a core part of who we are as human beings yet it’s something that we repress the most in our social lives, so music festivals have become a safe place for people to take their sexuality out of its cage and let it breathe.

Embracing the Music Festival Culture

If you’re new to the music festival scene but aren’t sure how to embrace the culture and set yourself free, you’re in for a treat. There’s one cardinal rule: don’t limit yourself.

If you love the look and feel of bondage leather, don a body harness to your next music festival. You can pair it with any outfit. Bikini top and cutoff shorts topped with a strappy harness? You’ll fit in perfectly.

Feeling a little creative energy? You could use something more artistic like shibari rope to make your own accessories. For example, tie yourself into a knotted harness or use the shibari rope to cloak your arms or legs. It gives you a uniquely earthy yet seductive look.

In general, a music festival is your opportunity to finally rock anything you’ve been wanting to wear for years but it just seems too wild for any other setting. Nothing is too out-of-the-box for a music festival, so turn off all those self-doubting voices and let yourself be you.