Festivals worldwide are reaping the rewards of diversifying their lineups as audience tastes evolve, organisers tell IQ.

According to a joint report by IQ and music biz directory and data platform ROSTR, which analysed the lineups of 50 top European festivals, rock/indie acts accounted for just 30% of headliners in 2024, compared with 43% the previous year.

Conversely, genres like hip-hop (14%), dance/electronic (26%), R&B/soul (4%), metal (5%), and “other” (5%) – including country, folk and classical, all experienced growth.

Hungary’s Sziget Festival will welcome the likes of Charli xcx, Shawn Mendes, A$AP Rocky, Anyma, Post Malone, and Chappell Roan to Budapest’s Óbuda Island, from 6-10 August this year, with roughly half of its 65,000 daily festivalgoers coming from abroad.

“We try to focus on diversity a lot to represent all our visitors,” says booker Virag Csiszar. “We always do an artist poll, where people can vote for the artists that they would like to see. This is what we use as the basis when we look at artist booking for the festival, and when we see the results, we see lots of different people with different music tastes.”

This format of audience participation began about a decade ago, with trending genres shifting greatly in that time.

“Back then, it was more about the big rock bands that were touring festivals,” she says. “It has changed a lot in recent years, because we’re seeing many more pop artists. Last year, hip-hop was especially popular; This year, we can already see that pop artists — especially female pop headliners — are huge.”

Csiszar says audience fervour was a key motivator in their decision to elevate Roan to a headliner for this year.

“We didn’t even consider [Roan] as a headliner from the beginning of the booking season for ’25,” explains Csiszar. “In the end, we changed our mind and we gave her the headline slot on the closing day, because obviously she grew so quickly and became so big in such a short of time that now she’s an obvious headliner for us.”

“We have to target different crowds, audiences, and generations”

Down in Colombia, Estéreo Picnic Festival celebrated a blowaway edition earlier this year. The 27-30 March event welcomed roughly 40,000 people daily, anchored by headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Timberlake, Justice, Shawn Mendes, Alanis Morissette, Tool, Beck, and Rüfüs Du Sol.

Festival director Sergio Pabon Castañeda says that having an eclectic lineup is integral to the Bogotá festival’s longevity.

“We are very open and like many genres, because the markets aren’t that big here,” says Castañeda. “So if we were just dealing in a couple of genres and their audiences, it wouldn’t be enough to make the festival viable. We have to target different crowds, audiences, and generations. People love Latin music and reggaeton, but they also like electronic and rock. Maybe we’re all unified by the word party. They are very open to going from one party to another.”

With a range of offerings, the Páramo Presents-produced festival is seeing a boost in international attendees at its Parque Simón Bolívar home, up about 20% this year.

“There are so many people wanting to come to this country and discover it, and this might be the best excuse,” adds Castañeda. “We’re seeing more and more people doing that, and we have to think about how to make everyone more welcome. Trying to offer from a programming point something for people who are not just Colombian or Latin.”

“We’ve learned that our audience is far more eclectic than most festivals give people credit for”

In Romania, Electric Castle is set to return to the historic Banffy Castle in Cluj from 16-20 July. The 24-hour festival’s 11th edition will be led by Justin Timberlake, Queens of the Stone Age, Yungblud, BICEP, Shaggy, Artemas, Sofi Tukker, and Róisín Murphy.

As the festival has evolved from a “niche electronic/alternative festival to a full-blown multi-genre experience,” head booker Edmond Lenarth says its audience is helping steer the ship.

“Diversity is part of our brand now,” he asserts. “We’ve learned that our audience is far more eclectic than most festivals give people credit for. They might be front row for a legendary punk band, then dance until sunrise at a techno set. That kind of openness is what defines Electric Castle.

“These days, our strategy leans heavily on contrast: pairing acts that wouldn’t typically sit on the same bill, and giving audiences a journey. We’re also more strategic now about how every stage is curated — each one has its own personality, and we use that to frame different sounds.”

He notes the rise of Afro-house, dark techno, and genre-bending pop in the Romanian market, genres he calls “acts that defy categorisation.”

“There’s also a growing appetite for live electronic performances, not just DJ sets.” continues Lenarth. “We’ve reflected these trends in how we curate stages like Hangar, Booha, Hideout, Backyard and in spotlighting artists who are pushing hybrid sounds. Romanian trap and indie scene are also evolving, and we’re paying attention there.”

“We’re noticing that fans are more willing to explore music outside the Anglo mainstream”

Speaking to IQ last year, economist Will Page suggested streaming algorithms were having a direct impact as listeners dip in and out of different styles.

“Today, it’s best to think of the algorithm’s impact on our choices, be it listening or live, as a concierge,” he said. “If that multigenre festival poster doesn’t resemble the playlist my concierge has built for me, I ain’t gonna go.”

Electronic or club-like offerings are a trend across the board. Sziget will launch an electronic district with three venues this year, with programming on until 6 AM, while Estéreo Picnic have integrated an after-hours clubbing offer to their schedule, with spaces up to 5,000-capacity for a post-headliner party that runs past 3 AM.

“It’s great for a festival, because it makes us less dependent on the lineup and more on offering a great experience,” says Castañeda. “That feeling of the club and being in a dark tent is way more intimate than being in front of a huge stage. We’ve got a reggaeton club, a cabaret with a strong LGBTQ community presence, a techno club – it’s become an activity that people really love.”

With audiences hungry for different types of experiences, languages no longer look to be a major restriction for organisers. Just last week, Live Nation said ticket sales for non English-speaking artists have nearly tripled pre-pandemic levels as the global artist pipeline continues to grow. Non-English speakers now account for twice as many of the top 50 tours, relative to 2019, the company revealed in its Q1 2025 earnings report.

“Language is less of a barrier now — people connect to energy, authenticity, and stage presence,” says Electric Castle’s Lenarth. “We’re noticing that fans are more willing to explore music outside the Anglo mainstream, and we’re responding by integrating more acts that perform in their native languages, whether that’s a cumbia-infused party set or a Korean R&B artist.”

In conclusion, an increasingly interconnected world will continue impacting how organisers put together their events.

“I believe the essential role of a festival is to reflect the spirit of our times in which we’re living, so as that changes and evolves, the programme has to change and reflect towards new audiences,” says Castañeda. “We change to what the audience says and the music changes to reflect the times, but I’m sure that people go to the festival and find something new that they weren’t expecting.”

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Legendary promoter John Giddings has spoken to IQ about the “gamble” of booking the Isle of Wight Festival ahead of next month’s instalment.

Set for Seaclose Park in Newport from 19-22 June, IoW 2025 will be headlined by Sting, Stereophonics and Justin Timberlake. The bill also includes Faithless, The Script, Jess Glynne, Supergrass, The Corrs, Busted, Olly Murs, Lottery Winners, Razorlight, Yard Act, Pale Waves and Remember Monday.

With 15 stages and an audience that ranges from 15 years old to 70, Giddings says that booking each edition is a “jigsaw puzzle”.

“It depends on who’s available, how much they cost and who’s touring,” he explains. “Then you’ve got to work out who is capable of selling that many tickets, who can command 50,000 people for an hour and a half, even if it’s raining. The music business has changed, but popularity on TikTok doesn’t necessarily transfer to selling tickets and being a live performer – you still need acts of stature who’ve had success with hits.”

Though an increasing number of A-list stars are opting for stadium shows over festivals, Giddings says that IoW’s location continues to work in its favour.

“When the festival costs over £10 million, you’ve got to gamble a bit as a promoter”

“I’m lucky in some ways, because there’s not a decent stadium on the South Coast,” he says. “So when an artist plays a stadium in Manchester or London, I always argue that there’s nowhere to play in the south except for the Isle of Wight. Plus, it’s the sunniest place in the UK.”

However, Giddings concedes that headliners of that calibre are still determined to bring stadium-level production to the festival, which can be both costly and complicated.

“When we had the Rolling Stones, I found out they were bringing their B-show, which meant they weren’t bringing the B-stage to perform the acoustic songs,” he recalls. “And I paid an extra £100,000 to put the B-stage in Seaclose Park. I think you have to make it perfect for the artist. When P!nk played, she went up in that box and came out 100ft in the air. But if the wind gets to a certain level, you can’t go up there. And it was touch and go.”

With ‘rising production costs’ and ‘booking artists’ named as the top concerns for festival organisers in 2025, the stakes with billing have never been so high.

“When the festival costs over £10 million, you’ve got to gamble a bit as a promoter,” says Giddings. “It’s luck and judgment. I don’t reckon I could have done it if I hadn’t been in the music business already for 20-odd years, because I know some of the artists just by working with them. They trust me to look after them and pay them.

“If I hadn’t had Solo Agency, I would have been bankrupt”

“If I hadn’t had Solo Agency, I would have been bankrupt. You can’t organise a festival to make money because it takes up so much time and energy in your life. It’s a passion and it’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done.”

Even as the post-pandemic live business continues, Giddings says that festivals still hold an important role in breaking and developing acts.

“We had Sabrina Carpenter at the Big Top stage in 2023, and this year she’s doing two sold-out British Summer Time,” he says. “So you feel proud that you might’ve helped someone make it. I was at the Reading Festival when AC/DC played at three o’clock in the afternoon, and they blew everybody away – it was obvious they were going to be a headline act in the future. If you’re good, you’re good, it doesn’t matter what time of day you’re on. But I think it takes time to develop that, and I think unfortunately, younger artists, get pushed too quickly into bigger things. The reason why artists like Elton John and Rod Stewart are still rock stars is because they’ve done it properly and at their own pace.”

Above all, keeping the audience happy and providing good value for money is king, says Giddings.

“The audience pays me to come, and I pay the artist to come,” he says. So the audience, in a sense, is more important than the artist. To keep guests happy, you have to make it a good, safe environment where everyone can enjoy themselves. We have things like a quiet field at the campsite now – that never existed in my life.”

He concludes: “There are 150 bands you could see for the cost of two bands at The O2, and music in the open air is a defining experience for people. It’s a shared experience where everybody is enjoying the same thing at the same time. Music brings people together.”

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American rock band Modest Mouse have announced a second new music festival, slated to take place in the US later this year.

The inaugural Psychic Salamander Festival will be held in Washington between 13 and 14 September, with Modest Mouse headlining both days.

They will be joined by the likes of The Flaming Lips, Courtney Barnett, Built To Spill, The Vaudevillian and Mattress on 13 September, and The Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney, Yo La Tengo, Friko and Sun Atoms on 14 September.

Earlier this month, Modest Mouse announced Ice Cream Floats, a five-day music festival that will take place in 2026 on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship.

Modest Mouse announced Ice Cream Floats, a five-day music festival on a cruise

The three-day cruise will set sail between 5 and 9 February next year, chartering between Miami and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Modest Mouse will be headline three nights of the festival, while other acts include Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Mannequin Pussy and more.

In March, the band kicked off their international co-headlining tour with The Flaming Lips, which will continue through to September with stops in Europe, the UK, Canada, and the United States.

Last year, they reissued their 2004 album Good News for People Who Love Bad News to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

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A new two-day EDM festival will launch in the Philippines next month, featuring more than 60 acts from the East and West.

The 10,000-capacity &FRIENDS festival lands in the capital city of Manila between 30-31 May, featuring the likes of Zedd, Bbno$, Illenium, Seven Lions, Euro Trash, Kiara and Ylona Garcia.

The inaugural edition will take place at the five-star hotel Okada Manila, with full festival tickets starting from $149 and single-day tickets starting from $61.

“We’re looking to be the destination festival for EDM in the Philippines,” says Justin Banusing, CEO of Clout Kitchen, which organises the festival.

“We’ve seen how festivals like Coachella, EDC, and Tomorrowland unite music lovers from all over the world, and now it’s Manila’s turn. We want to bring EDM back as a festival mainstay in the Philippines.”

But bringing internationally renowned acts to Manila is just one part of the puzzle for &FRIENDS, says Banusing. The festival’s organisers are intent on investing in regional talent, especially as they look to export the brand to other markets in South East Asia.

“We want to bring EDM back as a festival mainstay in the Philippines”

“We don’t just want to be another music festival that brings big names – we also want to be the festival that platforms EDM acts from around the region,” explains Banusing.

“We’re working together to bridge Asian EDM from across the globe, having HOANG, Botcash, Hoaprox, and Foxela from America, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, respectively.”

“We have also invited the amazing Ylona Garcia to headline our OPM (Original Pilipino Music) stage. She’s supported by amazing musicians such as Kiyo, Amiel Sol, Barq, and Alys,” he concludes.

Alongside the festival’s musical ambitions, &FRIENDS promises to be a “celebration of Gen Z pop culture, the creators leading the charge, and the communities around them”.

Clout Kitchen will draw on its clientele, as a consumer AI startup focused on creator-driven interactive experiences in gaming and pop culture. Headquartered in Los Angeles and Manila, the firm is backed by investors like a16z Games and AppWorks.

“The festival is built around the creators we work with, content creators and artists, giving them a space to connect with their fans not just online but in real life, in ways that feel personal, immersive, and memorable,” says Banusing.

&FRIENDS festival launches as the EDM industry reaches new heights to a valuation of $12.9 billion, according to the IMS Business Report 2025.

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Norway’s largest festival Tons of Rock has sold out of full festival passes in record time, according to organisers.

Four-day passes for the Oslo-based event were all snapped up before Easter, while day passes are fast running out.

Organisers of the Live Nation-backed event expect 150,000 visitors at the 11th edition of the festival, in line with last year’s record attendance.

Muse, Green Day, Kaizers Orchestra and Avenged Sevenfold will perform at Ekebergsletta Park in Norway’s capital on 25–28 June. Dream Theatre, Sex Pistols, Weezer, Megadeath and Machine Head appear further down the bill.

Commenting on the record sell-out, Tons of Rock general manager Jarle Kvåle told IQ: “I think it’s the combination of people who have had a great time visiting the festival in previous years and a new audience that we’ve managed to recruit.

“We try to invest a lot in the audience experience and it’s great to see that people appreciate it”

“We see that the number of people visiting the festival in recent years and returning is very high, and our customer survey also confirms that a large portion of the audience comes because of the total experience. We try to invest a lot in the audience experience and it’s great to see that people appreciate it. This, combined with the great bookings we have had in the last years, are the key factors, and maybe also the Norwegian audience just loves rock & roll.”

For last year’s 10th anniversary edition, Tons of Rock smashed its attendance record with 150,000 attendees.

It marked a 50% increase from the previous record year, 2023, and saw the festival become the largest in Norway, according to the organisers.

“The max capacity of the festival is 150,000, so to reach that number in 2024 and do it again in 2025 is just fantastic,” says Kvåle.

Tons of Rock was acquired by Live Nation Norway in 2019 following a longstanding partnership.

Since the first edition, they have worked together to secure acts including Slayer, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Ghost and Five Finger Death Punch, among others.

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Colombian singer Maluma has announced a three-day festival in his native city of Medellín.

The free-to-attend event will revolve around his sold-out hometown show, which is scheduled for this Saturday (26 April) at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

Ticketholders for the concert will be guaranteed access to the three-day festival (25–27 April) at the same venue, which will include activities, food courts, and brand activations.

Those without a concert ticket can enjoy the festival on Friday and Sunday by registering for free.

In 2022, Maluma drew an estimated 54,000 people to the Medallo En El Mapa show at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium

In 2022, Maluma drew an estimated 54,000 people to the Medallo En El Mapa show at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

The show, which was streamed live on Amazon in more than 240 countries, featured guests such as Feid, Grupo Firme, and superstar Madonna, and marked a milestone in the Colombian singer’s career.

Elsewhere, a new one-day festival will debut next month in Mexico, featuring an array of reggaeton and corridos tumbados stars.

Resuena Dos Equis will take place at Foro Cholula in Puebla on 31 May with acts including Natanael Cano, Nicky Jam, Arcangel, Luis R Conriquez, Alvaro Diaz, Oscar Maydon and more.

The festival is promoted by La Familia Presenta, Ocesa and Apodaca Live.

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The International Festival Forum (IFF) has unveiled details of its 11th edition, set for 9-11 September in London.

In addition to moving forward to late summer, organisers plan to revamp its south London campus layout to better accommodate an expected 1,000 booking agents and festival professionals.

IFF is set to return to its campus format, which spans across Omeara and Novotel London Bridge, for the third year running. The central location brings attendees together for live performances across two stages, pop-up agency offices, speed meetings, hot-topic conference sessions and keynotes, parties, lunches, dinners and more.

The invitation-only event, organised by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), has been the world’s leading annual platform for buyers and sellers since its conception in 2015. Over 750 festivals, tens of thousands of artists, and dozens of countries are represented at the multi-day event, held during the key late summer booking period.

“This year we will be expanding the campus’ footprint”

“As IFF enters its second decade, we’re thrilled that it has established itself as the principal place where the world’s top agents and festivals meet to do business,” says ILMC/IFF head Greg Parmley. “This year we will be expanding the campus’ footprint, while keeping the same cap on attendee numbers, ensuring that people have more dedicated space to network and ink deals for 2026 festival lineups.

“We can’t wait to see everyone again in London this September.”

Agency partners for this year’s edition include ATC Live, CAA, ITB, Primary Talent, Pure, UTA, Wasserman, WME, and X-ray Touring. Past performances at IFF have included Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Sam Ryder, Raye, Loyle Carter, English Teacher, and others.

Associate partners for 2025 include Tysers Live, iTicket Global, TVG Hospitality, and LMP Group.

Full details, including attendance criteria, are at iff.rocks, and the aftermovie can be viewed here.

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Four independent California music festivals have unveiled a joint ticket for their 2025 editions, allowing holders to visit all four events.

For US$599, individuals can purchase one of a limited number of IndepenDANCE Passes, granting general admission entry to Joshua Tree Music Festival in May or October, Desert Hearts in early July, Northern Nights Music Festival in mid-July, and Same Same But Different in September. The pass has a notional value of more than $2,000.

“Independent festivals have always been about community, and now we’re taking that to the next level,” said Brad Sweet, Same Same But Different co-founder and CEO, in a roundtable discussion about the passes.

“We pour everything we have into creating spaces where people can truly connect, dance freely, and experience something real, and now we’re uniting to create something bigger than any one festival, a collective that strengthens the entire scene and gives our community more access, more connection, and more unforgettable experiences across the festival season.”

“With collaboration and supporting one another, we can really make a difference”

As the festival sector faces sustained challenges — mounting costs, rising artist fees, and the ‘festivalisation of concerts’ being a key concern as highlighted during this year’s International Live Music Conference — independent events are disproportionately affected.

“Most independent festivals do not come from deep pockets […] None of us are in it to get rich, we know that’s not the case of what this business is, but I think that with collaboration and supporting one another, we can really make a difference in this world,” said Desert Hearts’ Mikey Lion.

Last year, more than 100 Dutch festivals and dozens of UK festivals were cancelled or discontinued. Australia has had several notable cancellations in recent years, most recently with Groovin The Moo for its second consecutive year.

In response to the crisis, the Australian state of Victoria is offering grants of up to AU$ 50,000 to local festival organisers.

Other innovations have seen German event network Höme offer refundable tickets to 120 events, while Iowa-based Hinterland has introduced a 90 Degree Guarantee, which allows ticket holders to request a refund if the forecast predicts 90 degrees or higher. Last year, Slovakian festival Pohoda shifted 500 lifetime passes priced at €999 each.

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Long-running Portuguese festival Super Bock Super Rock will not take place in 2025, according to the beer brand.

“As is public knowledge, Super Bock Super Rock is changing promoters,” reads a statement from the sponsor, Super Bock. “In this sense, we are in the process of transitioning with the aim of holding a major festival in 2026.”

Late last year, it was announced that Música no Coração would no longer organise the major international festival after launching it 30 years ago.

“My company turned 33 last Friday – 29 of those years were made in a partnership with the Super Bock brand,” Música no Coração MD Luis Montez told IQ in February.

“We are in the process of transitioning with the aim of holding a major festival in 2026”

“We are still partners in other events, but I realised, as a businessman and in tune with the brand, that this was the right moment for Música no Coração to end its involvement with Super Bock Super Rock, leaving behind a unique brand and legacy that has, year after year, built a national and international reputation.”

Super Bock Super Rock has been organised in various formats and locations in Portugal, Spain and Angola. The festivals have hosted international stars such as Prince, The Cure, David Bowie, Van Morrison, Coldplay, Pixies, Metallica, Arcade Fire, Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar.

The 2024 edition, which took place between 18–20 July at Herdade do Cabeço da Flauta, was headlined by Måneskin, Stormzy and 21 Savage.

The Lisbon counterpart Super Bock em Stock, organised by Música no Coração, did not take place last year.

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The 2025 edition of Rock am Ring has sold out, with 90,000 tickets snapped up in record time.

The German institution will celebrate its 40th anniversary at the Nürburgring from 6–8 June, with 100 acts and the largest production in the festival’s history.

Sister festival Rock im Park in Zeppelinfeld, meanwhile, is making good strides towards a sold out 30th anniversary edition, with 70,000 sold so far.

Bring Me The Horizon, Slipknot and Korn will headline both festivals, while The Prodigy, KIZ, Kontra K, Rise Against, Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Beatsteaks and Idles among others will represent “the enormous stylistic breadth” of the anniversary editions.

News of the sell out follows the June presale, during which Rock am Ring sold 30,000 tickets and Rock im Park sold 20,000 in the first 24 hours. By late October, the former had sold 70,000 and the latter, 50,000.

“Ensuring the best festival experience for fans at Rock am Ring still means first and foremost presenting the best possible programme,” says Matt Schwarz, CEO PRK DreamHaus & eventimpresents, which organises the festivals.

“The festival has always been a reflection of the prevailing pop zeitgeist. At Rock am Ring, developments were anticipated, careers large and small were launched, and an appearance at the Ring has long been like a knighthood for the artists.”

“The festival has always been a reflection of the prevailing pop zeitgeist”

In addition to a blockbuster programme, Rock am Ring 2025 boasts the largest stages in the festival’s history, refreshed camping sites and new futuristic production to create “controlled escapism”.

“We are building a small parallel universe with numerous loving details that fans can immerse themselves in,” explains Jana Posth, festival director Rock am Ring, who recently spoke at ILMC 37 about changing tastes among festival fans.

Rock am Ring was founded by Marcel Avram and Marek Lieberberg’s Mama Concerts in 1985, while Rock im Park took place for the first time in 1995 under Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK). The twin festivals are now promoted by PRK DreamHaus, eventimpresents and FKP Scorpio, after the firms formed a strategic collaboration.

Last year, DreamHaus and CTS Eventim’s Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (PRK) merged to form a combined company, PRK DreamHaus. The new firm is led jointly by Klaus-Peter (Matze) Matziol and Matt Schwarz, the current managing directors of Cologne-based PRK and Berlin-based DreamHaus, respectively, with Tobi Habla to be appointed as an additional MD.

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