Brands are flocking to music festivals like moths to a flame: in the last year, more than 7,000 brands have bought a sponsorship or media deal with these events, saturating the market as they vie to connect with attendees in the festivals’ prime consumer demographic.

Sponsors are embracing innovation in this quest, employing tactics like immersive experiential activations, head-turning installations, and interactive displays to create memorable experiences that make a lasting impression amidst festivals’ fierce competition. With half the festival season remaining, brands will likely look to previous winning activations for inspiration. Let’s take a look at a few.

Beatbox Beverages added 20 more music festivals to its partnership lineup this year, expanding these sponsorships to a whopping 75% of its endorsement portfolio. At Country Thunder Arizona in April, the brand orchestrated a Jenga game featuring its logo on the blocks for festival-goers, and provided branded swings where attendees could take a load off at the Hangout Music Fest in Alabama last month.

Meanwhile, Snapchat–which currently counts more than 75% of the 13-34 age group across 20 countries among its users–offers augmented reality (AR) experiences to festival-goers at 16 Live Nation festivals, including marquee events like Lollapalooza and The Governor’s Ball. These AR-enabled features help attendees locate their friends, uncover exclusive landmarks, and facilitate merchandise purchases. Leveraging its vast reach and massive user base, Snapchat plans to propel AR to the forefront of visual expression for artists and festivals, championing it as the next frontier in creative exploration.

Renowned tequila titan Jose Cuervo, long recognized for its distinctive activations, unveiled a unique “Cuervo Express” train car experience at select events this year, including the popular Firefly Festival and Hangout Music Fest. The immersive activation takes visitors on a captivating journey into the storied world of Jose Cuervo within an old-fashioned train car, with exclusive performances on its stage and the opportunity to buy the brand’s fabled spirits.

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