Impress Your Friends With This Festival Trivia
Our Ibiza Global Radio UAE Beach Festival burst onto Dubai’s electronic music scene in a blaze of glory! Sole Beach rocked hard! We brought the DJs and you guys brought the party. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more festie news coming your way soon. In the meantime, here are five fun festival trivia facts to see you through…
Glastonbury
Kicking off our festival trivia, did you know the UK’s Glastonbury Festival began life as the Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival? Farmer Michael Eavis charged music fans £1 to attend the event at Worthy Farm, on 19 September 1970. Around 1500 people turned up and the ticket price included free milk from the farm.
Numbers Game
What’s the largest music festival in the world? The answer might surprise you. Figures for 2019 – before the Covid madness – declared Morocco’s Mawazine festival as the largest on the planet. How many through the gates? Oh, roughly 2.8 million. Not the best time to lose your mates.
Music for Change
The award-winning EXIT Festival, at the Petrovaradian Fortress, in Novi Sad, Serbia, was born out of political activism. Protesting for democracy and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans, student friends organised the first EXIT festival in the city’s University Park in 2000. EXIT is now a behemoth on the festie circuit, twice scooping the ‘Best Major European Festival’ title at the EU Festival Awards.
Most Remote
Think the desert playa of Burning Man is the most remote location for a festival? Think again. Australia’s Birdsville Big Red Bash is the “most remote” music festival in the world. Its Simpson Desert location in Queensland is 1900km from Sydney, 1600km from Brisbane and 1200km from Adelaide. Unlikely to upset the neighbours, then.
Heritage
Contrary to belief, music festivals didn’t begin with the infamous Woodstock in 1969. Here’s a festival trivia ace – music festies can be traced back to the late sixth century BC. To the Pythian Games, in fact, which pre-date the Olympics! Held at the sanctuary of Apollo, at Delphi, the Pythian Games concluded with a day of musical competitions.