Photo by Bess Bloomer

Sweetlife Festival is a music and food festival that occurs in Columbia, Maryland every year.

As students begin to cross off the painful last few days before summer vacation, music festival season is gaining momentum. Just because one chapter is coming to a close does not mean another is just beginning to blossom.  Sweetlife, Firefly, Moonrise and Vans Warped Tour are only a handful of the wide array of music and arts events offered in the DMV. Festivals are booming in popularity and a multitude of artists take the center spotlight among teens and young adults alike. In general, these summer events are seen as an open and accepting environment where individuals from different areas and cultures can gather for a day of fun and shared interests.

“[Concerts] are a great thing because it is a way for people, especially teens, to get to know new people and discover new music,” said junior Matthew Broocke.

However, some dark clouds loom ahead that threaten the fragile future of concerts and festivals.

Age restriction policies are not uncommon at music events. In fact, recently there has been growing speculation that weigh the benefits and drawbacks of enforcing age policies. Supporters of the restrictions state that they may help in decreasing the likelihood of dangerous outcomes, like drunk driving.

Junior Rebecca Warren agrees partially with this notion.

“[Age restrictions] make it safer for people with better security. [Venues should] enforce some rules, but not be too harsh,” said Warren.

If strict age restriction policies are enacted, it will possibly wreck the accepting and relaxing environment one expects to find at a festival or concert. It just creates another barrier, a new segregation of age, which makes the experience a lot less enjoyable. Often, the different ages of the audiences just add to the diverse atmosphere of a festival and do not negatively impact a viewer’s time. Also, different venues attract different audiences naturally. For instance, it would be a rare to witness an elderly couple crowd surfing in a dark mosh pit.

“I’ve been to some [concerts] with mostly teens and some with mostly middle aged people,and it’s still fun both ways,” says junior Rachel Slover. “I feel like anyone who wants to should be able to come.”

As more and more people hear of these festivals, they will begin to attract a younger audience each year. Supporters say this could result in increased exposure to the dark truth of peer pressure at a younger age. This will only add to the rapid incline of poorly thought out decisions and actions done by teenagers. Though the possibility that these age restrictions will eventually be enforced is most likely inevitable, it may not have the effect that its enforcers would want. If a large portion of the audience is attracted to these concerts to participate in activities like drinking and taking drugs, an age policy will not necessarily stop these things from happening; people will still find a way to smuggle illegal substances into a concert or festival no matter what stands in their way.

In short, the policies, although there are some benefits, would produce a whole new hybrid of concerts, and not necessarily a pleasurable ones at that.