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Unpacking the magic of music festivals

DJ Snake performs at the Sahara Stage at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival  at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
DJ Snake performs at the Sahara Stage at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

Some of music’s mostlegendarymomentsdidn’thappen in our nation’s storied venues or theaters, but outside, in front of the roaring crowds at musicfestivals.

And festivals have brought the fire for decades. Jimi Hendrix famously performed theStar Spangled Banner in front of20o,000people at Woodstock in 1969. 

Half a century later, music festivals big and small attract millions of Americans each year. What keeps people coming back and how do organizers keepso manymusic fans safe?

Copyright 2024 WAMU 88.5

Avery Jessa Chapnick