1. Coachella – The Power of Consistency and Aesthetic
Every January, Coachella drops a minimalist lineup poster that sparks online frenzy. The festival’s social media presence is defined by pastel tones, curated grids, and influencer content from the California desert. Their consistent aesthetic and tightly controlled rollout create massive buzz and user-generated content every year.
Key Takeaways:
- Build anticipation with consistent, recognisable content drops
- Tap into fan and influencer content to expand your campaign’s impact
- A strong visual identity can extend far beyond the event
2. Tomorrowland – Expanding the Festival Into a Fantasy World
Tomorrowland 2025 invites fans into the world of its new theme, ORBYZ, with a fantasy novel: The Odes of Orbyz. The book tells the origin story behind the theme, deepening the festival experience before attendees even arrive. Available online, the novel is part of a broader narrative campaign supported by cinematic trailers and visual storytelling.
Adding a layer of gamification, three Golden Tickets are hidden in copies of the book, each granting two full passes – driving early buzz and engagement.
Key Takeaways:
- Story-driven campaigns deepen emotional connection
- Pre-event content can build anticipation and brand loyalty
- Exclusive rewards boost early participation and sharing
3. Fyre Festival – “Influencer Blackout Tile” Campaign
The campaign that broke the internet – and later, the festival itself. Fyre Festival’s marketing used a wave of influencers posting identical orange tiles on Instagram, followed by a sleek, aspirational video featuring models on yachts. It sold a luxury dream. The reality? Infamously disastrous. Attendees arrived to find disaster relief tents, poor food, and no performers, nothing like the luxury festival promised. The chaos led to mass outrage and lawsuits.
Key Takeaways:
- Viral hype without operational integrity can destroy a brand
- Influencers drive awareness – but authenticity sustains trust
- Be transparent; mystery should spark curiosity, not hide failure
4. Rolling Loud – “TikTok Lineup Reveal Challenge”
Rolling Loud leaned into TikTok culture by transforming their lineup drops into interactive challenges. Fans created memes, outfit videos, and reactions based on teaser clips and curated sounds. The brand successfully merged streetwear, hip-hop, and social content into one viral moment.
Key Takeaways:
- Meet your audience where they already are
- Gamify announcements to encourage organic sharing
- Tap into fan creativity – don’t overproduce every piece of content
5. Glastonbury – The Art of Mystery and Devoted Fans
Unlike most major festivals, Glastonbury never reveals its full lineup upfront. Instead, it leans into mystery as a core marketing strategy – dropping unlabelled posters in local towns, letting rumours swirl through the media, and fuelling fan speculation with surprise sets from huge acts like The Killers, Lady Gaga, or Foo Fighters. Sometimes they even throw in occasional false leads and misdirection to keep fans guessing. The result? Fans and press end up doing the heavy lifting, decoding clues and obsessing over who might turn up.
The magic isn’t just in who’s playing, it’s in how people find out. Glastonbury’s slow, cryptic approach turns the lineup into something fans actively piece together. In a world of over-marketing, that kind of restraint stands out. The lack of information doesn’t kill the buzz – it makes it stronger, building loyalty through tradition and mystery.
Key Takeaways:
- Mystery creates momentum – ambiguity can spark more engagement than overexposure
- Invite the audience into the process – fans become part of the lore
- Marketing doesn’t have to be loud, sometimes the quietest drop echoes the longest
Final Thought:
Whether you’re going full fantasy like Tomorrowland or keeping it minimalist like Coachella, great festival campaigns are immersive, community-driven, and culturally in tune. And in Fyre’s case, a reminder that great marketing can’t fix a broken product.
At FDRY, we support our clients to build impactful marketing strategies from strategy and planning to implementation. As a leading digital marketing agency, our approach is creative and grounded in data-informed insights. Our team of marketing experts would be happy to have a discovery session with you to discuss your digital marketing needs, or alternatively send us a brief or get in touch at [email protected]
