PREVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.

The Risky Business Of Music Festivals (C1)

PAGE 1

Describe what a music festival is. Then discuss the questions below about the groups
PART 1
of people involved in music festivals.

1 2 3

Promoters/Organizers Festival-goers Performers/Artists

1 What could make a music festival an attractive or positive experience for

each group of people?

2 What could make a music festival a negative or disappointing experience

for each group of people? What could go wrong?

Discuss the questions below depending on whether you have/haven’t attended a

PART 2
music festival.

YES 1 Which music festival(s) have you attended?

2 What was the best part about your experience(s)?
3 If you could have changed/improved anything about
the festival(s) or experience(s), what would it be?

NO 1 Are you interested in attending a music festival? Why or why not?

2 If you attended one, what would an ideal experience be like?

Do you recognize any of the music festivals below? If so, what do you know about
PART 3
them? Can you think of any other globally known or local music festivals?

1 2 3
COACHELLA ROCK IN RIO SZIGET

4 5 6
OSHEAGA WOODSTOCK FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL
THE RISKY BUSINESS OF Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.

MUSIC FESTIVALS
The Risky Business Of Music Festivals (C1)
PAGE 2

PREVIEW DISCUSSION

What are some of the most important factors

that music festival organizers/promoters must
consider when preparing for a music festival?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 List the topics in order from 1 - 6 that are discussed.

The biggest music festival flop (disaster) in history

The financial and logistical challenges artists, performers, and DJs face
The incentive for performers/artists to partake in music festivals
The strategy promoters use to book headliners and performers
The legal conflict between promoters and performers
The logistical and infrastructural challenges promoters face

Discuss/Write short answers according to the information in the video. Then watch
PART 2
the video again to check your answers if necessary.

0:31 1 What is a “green banana”? Who was an example? What happened in her case?

2:33 2 What is a “radius clause”? What happened with Coachella’s radius clause?

3:48 3 What factors have made Osheaga an infrastructural and logistical challenge?

5:04 4 What happened at Fyre Festival in 2017? What happened to the organizer?

5:53 5 Why do performers/artists have an incentive to do festival gigs these days?

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
The Risky Business Of Music Festivals (C1)
PAGE 3

PART 1 Discuss the questions below.

1 What do you think about the risky business of music festivals? Is it

worth the risk for promoters/performers?

2 What do you think about the radius clause? Do you think it’s fair?
Why or why not?

Match each noun to the idiomatic expressions used in the video. One is not used!
PART 2
Then try to define each expression in your own words.

bill | nightmare | chaos | dilemma | lesson | damper

1 Cardi B lost at least $460,000 dollars to play at Coachella. She learned her
the hard way.

2 Promoters have to foot the for the space and other big
expenses at festivals, like parking, sanitation, food, and garbage.

3 Rain put a on one of Canada’s biggest music festivals, Osheaga.

4 The infrastructure of Osheage is basically a city, and they employ around

5,000 people. These factors make it a logistical .

5 Fyre Festival promised a luxury experience on the beautiful islands of Exuma,

but the entire event crumbled into .

Read the man’s review of Coachella below. Try to define each idiomatic expression
PART 3
in bold in your own words.

We had a blast at Coachella partying and dancing to our favorite bands!

The crowd was going totally nuts as the headliners hit the stage. Going
crowd surfing for my first time was the icing on the cake. Although the
excessive heat put a damper on the event, it was still a one-of-a-kind
experience that will stick with me forever. I already can’t wait to go back!

Think about some experiences you’ve had at festivals, events, trips, etc. Talk about
PART 4
and describe these experiences using some of the idioms/phrases in Part 2 and 3.
EVENT INTERVIEWS! Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
The Risky Business Of Music Festivals (C1)
PAGE 4

STEP 1: CHOOSE AN EVENT

• Choose a type of music festival or any other kind of festival/event.

• Briefly specify the event and details. (Write the name, location, etc.)

SPECIFY THE EVENT:

INTERVIEW A: EVENT ORGANIZER

• Work with a classmate/your teacher. Show each other the events you each chose.
• Choose one of the interviews (1 or 2) you wish to do below, or both.
• Take Student A for the event you chose, and Student B to interview your partner.

INTERVIEW 1

STUDENT A: EVENT ORGANIZER STUDENT B: REPORTER

Imagine you organized the event you Imagine you’re a reporter. Interview your
chose. A reporter is interviewing you classmate/teacher about the event they
after the event. Answer their questions. organized. Ask them how the event went
Use some of the expressions below: and at least 3 follow-up questions.

have a blast a logistical nightmare

go totally nuts icing on the cake
put a damper on one-of-a-kind
foot the bill crumble into chaos

INTERVIEW 2

STUDENT A: EVENT ATTENDEE STUDENT B: REPORTER

Imagine you attended the event you Imagine you’re a reporter. Interview your
chose. A reporter is interviewing you classmate/teacher about the event they
after the event. Answer their questions. attended. Ask them how the event went
Use some of the expressions below: and at least 3 follow-up questions.

have a blast a logistical nightmare

go totally nuts icing on the cake
put a damper on learn my/our lesson
stick with me crumble into chaos
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2023. For use only with license.
The Risky Business Of Music Festivals (C1)
PAGE 5

PART 1 Answer each question below according to the information in the video.

1 What strategy do promoters use to book headliners and performers?

2 Which artist experienced a financial hardship? What happened?
3 What kind of legal clause exists for performers in some festivals? Why?
4 What factors have made Osheaga an infrastructural and logistical challenge?
5 What happened at Fyre Festival in 2017? What happened to the organizer?

PART 2 Write the full idiomatic expressions used in the sentences from the video.

1 Cardi B lost at least $460,000 dollars to play at Coachella. She

the hard way.

2 Promoters have to for the space and other big

expenses at festivals, like parking, sanitation, food, and garbage.

3 Rain one of Canada’s biggest music festivals, Osheaga.

4 The infrastructure of Osheage is basically a city, and they employ around

5,000 people. These factors make it a .

5 Fyre Festival promised a luxury experience on the beautiful islands of Exuma,

but the entire event .

PART 3 Try to define each of the following idiomatic expressions in your own words.

1 have a blast
2 go totally nuts
3 the icing on the cake
4 one-of-a-kind
5 stick with [smb]

LESSON REFLECTION:

Discuss the topics below about the lesson.

1 Did you learn or use any new vocabulary or phrases in this lesson? If so, what?
2 Did you learn anything new or interesting about music festivals? If so, explain.
3 What did you enjoy about the lesson?
4 Is there anything you found difficult about the lesson?