Digital Alternatives To Music Festivals This Summer

Due to social-distancing rules this summer the events industry has taken a bit of a hit. Luckily, it hasn’t stopped many artists including big names from streaming live from all over the world. The best part being, that the gigs are free to watch. Other collaborations and institutions have put together virtual nights, festivals, and art projects. If you’re a budding artist yourself, you have plenty of opportunities to get involved as well. Here are some examples of cultural events you can find online during the lockdown, whatever you’re into.

Gigs and Shows

Find out about all the live concerts going on during the lockdown. R&B/Soul divas like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu have already performed. Watch this space for more big names streaming live from across the globe. The best part is, famous artists are generously offering these virtual gigs for free.

Virtual Festivals

Movement At Home is streaming live May 23-25th, and will likely be available online after that. In partnership with Beatport, the three-day live stream event features Movement artists and surprise guests. All proceeds will go to MusiCares’ Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The most legendary European DJs have collaborated together as well to bring you “United We Stream” which comes directly from Berlin nightclubs. Thousands of artists and DJs, like DJ D-Nice, have basically put together a virtual club for you so even though there isn’t much active nightlife at the moment, you’ll still be able to party at home.

An amazing community has been put together to make The Social Distancing Festival. This project has a lot of contributors from all over the world including artists, musicians, singers, and dancers. In the art section, the mission has been to pair up artists from different disciplines to create something inspiring together. There are tons of cool projects to check out. Many aspects of festivals are included on the site, even a virtual beer tent. If you’re interested in checking out what other alternatives are available online see Covid-19 updates.

Broadcast Live

Crowdcast offers plenty of concerts along with culturally provocative live events, so tune in now! There’s a wide range to see and hear. The best thing is that you can post your own live videos for a monthly membership.  Why not try to get involved? There are plenty of interactive workshops and live debates going on so you’ll be able to pass a lot of time on this site.

Classical Music

If it’s classical you prefer, several concert halls are also collaborating to provide online events. Sage is one of the collaborators of the European Concert Hall network which has over 25 concert halls all streaming events on social media. The Royal Opera house is also offering curated online broadcasts, musical masterclass, and ballet and opera productions on Facebook and Twitter. The MET also has regular opera performances streaming, once per day for free available from 7:30 pm on EST or the MET app. The Berlin Philharmonic boasts life broadcasts from digital concert halls in HD, so sit back, relax and enjoy.

Feature photo: Lawrence Davis