An interesting moment occurred when the crowd reacted more to Tyler the Creator’s flying gimmick during his opening at Coachella than to singing along with the legendary band Blur. In an ethnographic study conducted by Youthlab, the We The Fest festival also received negative responses and was rated poorly by Gen Z.

This negative reaction arose because We The Fest failed to accommodate the new aspirations and behaviors of this group. A generation that spends most of its time in digital life has different aspirations and behaviors compared to previous generations.

For Gen Z, enjoying music from a quality standpoint is not the main priority when attending music festivals. This generation, which grew up in the digital age, views festivals as a comprehensive offline experience for themselves.

Gen Z’s FOMO behavior towards music festivals

Festivals are now increasingly filled with Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012. Among the many festivals emerging post-pandemic in Indonesia, some are considered suitable and representative of Gen Z, while others are primarily attended by Millennials and Generation X. This highlights a generation gap in music festivals.

A generation that grew up in the digital age differs from previous ones. They bring their digital perspective when attending a music festival. For this generation, priorities include visual enjoyment of the event concept, the popularity of songs on digital platforms, social media interactions, stage gimmicks, and content value.

They view festivals as a moment to optimize their offline experience, a place to hang out with peers, an opportunity to dress up, and a venue for gathering content for social media.