Staged Festival Announcements and Set-Time Communications

Announcing a festival lineup isn’t a single moment – it’s a carefully orchestrated campaign. Successful festival producers across the globe treat their announcements as a journey, guiding fans from the first save-the-date teaser all the way to the release of set times. Every communication, from revealing the event’s theme to posting the site map, plays a role in building excitement and ensuring attendees are informed. In the fast-paced world of electronic music festivals, strategic communications can mean the difference between a smooth event and a chaotic one. Here’s how an experienced festival organizer stages announcements and manages communications to build momentum and keep crowds happy and safe.

Build Momentum with Staged Announcements

Staging announcements means breaking major news into planned phases so each update fuels anticipation:

Save the Date: The First Teaser

Start early by publicizing the festival dates as soon as they’re locked in. A simple “Save the Date” message – often just the dates and city – plants the seed in fans’ minds. This early teaser is crucial for both local enthusiasts and international travelers who need to plan ahead. For example, a festival in Australia might announce dates nearly a year out, giving overseas fans time to arrange flights. The save-the-date doesn’t reveal much, but it creates initial buzz and ensures loyal attendees mark their calendars.

Theme & Branding: Setting the Tone

If your festival embraces a unique theme or aesthetic each year, unveil it after the dates. Electronic music festivals like Belgium’s Tomorrowland famously build hype by releasing an annual theme (complete with a cinematic trailer) months before the event. This gives your audience a flavor of the experience to come – whether it’s a futuristic utopia or a retro rave theme – and it keeps the conversation going. The theme announcement also offers rich content for marketing materials, stage designs, and social media storytelling, immersing fans in the festival’s world long before gates open.

Phase 1 Lineup Announcement: Big Names First

Next comes the lineup – but wise festival organizers don’t drop every artist at once. Begin with a Phase 1 lineup announcement, highlighting headliners and a first wave of artists. This initial lineup release generates massive excitement and usually coincides with a spike in ticket sales. Many festivals in the US and Europe practice phased lineup rollouts; for instance, Ultra Music Festival often announces headliners early as Phase 1 to boost early-bird ticket uptake. By showcasing a few big names first, organizers grab fans’ attention without finalizing every detail. Just ensure that fans know more acts are coming, to manage expectations.

Additional Lineup Phases: Sustaining Excitement

Follow up with Phase 2, 3, or more announcements in the weeks or months leading up to the festival. Each wave can reveal new artists, special stage takeovers, or regional talent, depending on your event’s scope. Staggering these announcements keeps your festival in the news and maintains momentum – crucial in competitive markets like Europe and North America where dozens of events vie for attention. A festival in India or Mexico might use a second announcement to tap into local fan communities by revealing popular homegrown artists, ensuring both international and local audiences feel represented. Every lineup update is a chance to reignite interest on social media and remind undecided attendees to secure their tickets.

Site Map and Venue Layout: Prepare Your Crowd

As the event draws closer, transparency about the festival grounds becomes key. Publishing the festival site map – showing stages, entrances, food courts, water stations, medical tents, and other facilities – helps attendees visualize the experience. This is typically released a couple of weeks before the event. For major multi-stage festivals like those in the UK or Germany, fans will scrutinize the map to plan meet-up spots and travel routes on-site. A clearly labeled map (often shared via the festival app and website) can reduce confusion on show days. It’s also an opportunity to highlight new venue features, such as an expanded dance tent or relocated entrance, so frequent attendees can adjust their expectations.

Set Times Announcement: The Final Countdown

Finally, the moment every hardcore fan waits for – the set times. Releasing the schedule of who plays when and on which stage is typically the last major announcement in the rollout. Timing is tricky: release set times too late and attendees might be annoyed they can’t plan their must-see acts; release too early and you might need to update it if there are last-minute artist changes. Many festival organizers aim to share set times about a week before the festival. In doing so, clearly communicate the time zone of the event (e.g., “all set times are local GMT+1”) to avoid confusion for travelers. Using a festival app is ideal here – it lets attendees create a personal schedule and even get alerts before their favorite DJ hits the stage. Once set times are finalized, festival teams should broadcast them across all channels (email, app, website, socials) so no fan misses out on planning their perfect festival day.

Real-Time Updates: Apps and Screens for Live Communication

Even with meticulous planning, things can change on the fly – a storm delay, a surprise guest, a stage audio issue. Real-time communication during the event is critical. The best way to reach attendees instantly is through the official festival app and on-site screens:

• Mobile Festival App Notifications: Encourage attendees to download the official app in advance. When you need to deliver urgent updates (like “Stage B performances paused due to weather – stay tuned” or safety alerts), push notifications can bypass the noise of social media. Since these alerts reach ticket holders directly, they’re more likely to see timely messages even if cell reception is spotty. For example, during a sudden heavy rain at an outdoor festival in Singapore, an app notification can inform everyone about shelter areas or schedule adjustments within seconds.
• Digital Signage and Screens: Leverage the big LED screens near stages or dedicated digital signage towers around the venue. These displays should not just show sponsor logos, but also rotate key messages: schedule changes, real-time stage capacity updates, or reminders like “Stay Hydrated” and “Free Water Refill Station by West Gate”. In an emergency, having a pre-programmed alert template to flash messages like “Severe weather incoming – proceed to exits calmly” can save precious time. At large European festivals, festival organizers coordinate with screen operators so that important announcements override other content instantly when needed.

Using these direct channels keeps your audience informed and safe without relying solely on external platforms. It’s critical to test these systems before the festival. Do a dry run of sending a push notification to ensure it reaches devices, and rehearse message timing on the LED screens. Attendees will quickly learn that the official app and screens are the go-to sources for accurate information, reducing rumors and panic in fast-moving situations.

Avoiding Last-Minute Social Media Mayhem

In the final days and hours before a festival, it’s tempting to fire off exciting social media updates. However, veteran festival organizers warn against last-minute social blasts that might create chaos. Public posts on platforms like Instagram or X (Twitter) can spread widely beyond your ticket holders – and that can backfire on event day:

• Beware of Overloading Entry Gates: For instance, announcing a limited-door sale or a surprise headliner just hours before the show might inadvertently draw huge crowds of people who were undecided or hoping to catch a deal. This can overwhelm ticket scanning and security at the gates, leading to long lines or unsafe crowding. One famous example was a festival in New York that teased a special guest on social media on the event day – thousands showed up last-minute, causing massive entry delays. Instead, if you have a surprise in store, consider revealing it to the audience on-site (via the app or screens) or at least in a controlled way that won’t encourage a sudden surge of new arrivals.
• Managing Expectation vs. Reality: Last-minute posts intended to hype can also create unrealistic expectations. If you blast “Don’t miss the epic closing set tonight!” on the day, attendees who hadn’t planned to stay through the end might all decide to stick around, potentially straining exit traffic or transport capacity at closing. Or if you must announce a critical update (like a gate change or a canceled set) close to real-time, do it calmly and only through official channels targeted at attendees – such as email and app – rather than a public social post that could sow confusion or negative publicity without proper context.

The lesson is to time your communications wisely. Use social media for building pre-event buzz and sharing recaps, but when you’re on the cusp of the festival or during live days, switch to direct attendee communication. This avoids adding noise that might lead to crowd control issues or misinformation. A well-timed on-site announcement or a push notification will reach the people who need it most, without creating frenzy among those who aren’t at the venue.

Obsess Over Time Zones and Transport Details

One hallmark of seasoned festival teams is their almost obsessive attention to logistical details in communications. Two areas often overlooked by newer producers – time zone clarity and transportation info – can dramatically improve the attendee experience if handled well:

• State All Times in the Local Time Zone: When your festival draws an international audience or even attendees from out of state, always clarify time zones. If tickets go on sale at “10:00 AM”, specify “10:00 AM PST (Pacific Time)” for a California festival or “18:00 GMT+1” for a European event. During lineup and set-time announcements, explicitly mention the local time zone in schedules. This prevents confusion (for example, a traveler from New Zealand knows that “gates open at 14:00 CET” means Central European Time, not their home time). It may seem obvious, but in our globalized festival scene, such clarity can save fans from missed performances or late arrivals.
• Over-Communicate Transport Options: Getting tens of thousands of people to and from a festival safely is as important as the show itself. Make transportation information unmissable. Start early – when tickets are sold, include a prominent note about travel options: shuttle buses, parking passes, public transit routes, ride-share drop-off zones, and walking paths. In the lead-up emails and on social updates, remind attendees how to reach the venue and, crucially, how to get home. Festivals in remote locations (like rural parts of Canada or the Australian outback) often organize dedicated coaches or trains; if so, publish timetables and pickup points repeatedly. Urban festivals, meanwhile, should coordinate with city transit to run late-night service if possible, and loudly communicate the last train or bus times. No attendee should be surprised about transportation on the day of the event – they should know exactly which shuttle to catch or where the taxi stand is, because they have been told over and over across all channels.

This level of thorough communication might feel excessive, but it pays off. By eliminating ambiguity about time zones, organizers ensure virtual announcements (like lineup drops or live-stream schedules) get maximum engagement. And by obsessively detailing transport logistics, organizers reduce congestion and frustration, making sure the festival experience remains positive from arrival to departure. Attendees worldwide – whether heading to a beach festival in Bali or a mountain rave in Colorado – appreciate festival organizers who have clearly mapped out the journey.

Key Takeaways

• Plan a Timeline of Announcements: Break your festival news into a staged sequence (dates, theme, lineup phases, map, set times) so excitement builds steadily rather than peaking too early.
• Use Targeted Channels for Updates: Rely on the festival’s app, email, and on-site screens for real-time updates and safety messages to reach attendees directly, instead of solely blasting public social media.
• Be Cautious with Late Social Posts: Avoid last-minute public announcements that could unintentionally cause overcrowding at entrances or mislead those not at the event – timing and audience targeting are everything.
• Over-Inform on Basics: Always communicate in the local time zone and repeatedly share detailed transport options. The more clearly you convey these logistical details, the smoother the event will run for everyone.
• Adapt and Learn: Every festival (from a 5,000-person boutique event to a 200,000-strong mega-festival) offers lessons. Continuously refine your communications strategy with each show, using both successes and hiccups as guideposts for the next edition.