Music Festivals and Individualized Sociality: Investigating the Experience of Solo Festival Attendees

The growing individualization of society has long been a topic of discussion, with ongoing debates querying the implications for social connectivity. However, these debates have yet to substantively connect with the festivals literature and this oversight needs redress. While festivals have long been prized for their collective sociality, a small minority of people attend on their own. This article reports findings from a music festival audience survey that found 3% attended predominantly alone. The findings emphasize that aloneness exists within the sociality of the festival. They further suggest that festivals can constitute safe spaces enabling solo attendees to feel at ease among other like-minded music enthusiasts and feel the benefits of attending alone. The experience is not always perfect, however, especially at particular moments, and some solo attendees would like to have company, but compensation comes in the flexibility and empowerment that being alone affords.