The story of a music festival that was conceptualized, planned, and executed in the midst of a global pandemic.
In late April, during the Super Pink Moon, around 2,000 people attended a five-day music festival. It's a feat that, in light of a global pandemic, would have seemed impossible a year ago, and marked a return to some semblance of normalcy. For those who attended, it was pure, socially-distanced awesomeness.
Moon Crush is "a connected music vacation" created by Topeka, a company that connects artists and fans through virtual and in-person experiences. The idea for Moon Crush came to Andy Levine, founder and CEO of Topeka, last year.
Levine and his family were renting a house in Destin, and as he was riding his bike along Scenic Highway 98 he noticed Seascape Golf Course.
"We've had some success doing concerts on golf courses before, and I noticed all of these people vacationing—staying in whatever home they wanted, and spending time at the beach with their friends and family," Levine said. "I wondered if we could do something similar; have people rent a home, enjoy the beach during the day, and then walk or take a golf cart over to Seascape to listen to some musical performances."
This idea for a boutique music vacation festival became a reality less than a year later — conceptualized, planned, and executed in the midst of a pandemic.
Planning an event of this magnitude, particularly during a global pandemic, came with its challenges, but it was well within Levine's wheelhouse.
"I started out playing in bands," he said. "I wasn't very good, but I booked all the shows, and then I started managing bands." One of the bands he managed, Sister Hazel, had a dedicated fan following and Levine and the band wanted to do something special for them. In 2001, Levine invited the members of Sister Hazel and their fans on a cruise, and the concept grew from there.
"We would rent the cruise ship, book the band, build the website, sell all of the tickets, hire people to bring stage, light, and sound equipment on, and create this music festival," he said. What started out as a single cruise with Sister Hazel grew to 15 cruises a year with 20 different bands and 2,500 guests on each four-day trip. Levine sold this company to Norwegian Cruise Line in 2012 and ran it until 2017, before founding Topeka in 2019.
Topeka was created as a platform for artists to connect with their fans without having to be away from their families. Levine explained that for many artists, the majority of their income comes from touring, which can take away from time spent with family. The solution? Creating virtual ways for artists to connect with fans (via serenades, one-on-one conversations, and more) from home and offering vacations for fans to see their favorite artists live, where the artists are also invited to bring their families along — making new memories with their families while earning a living. The Moon Crush festival fit right into Topeka's vision.
Moon Crush distinguishes itself from other music festivals by having just a handful of artists and bands perform each day, on one stage, with plenty of downtime in between to go to the beach, explore the local area, and spend time with family and friends that you've brought with you on vacation. The first-ever Moon Crush festival included performances by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Sheryl Crow, and The Revivalists, among many others.
Many elements of the April 2021 Moon Crush festival that were implemented because of COVID were well-received by guests, and the team plans to build upon them for future events. Most notably, attendees watched the performances in their assigned COVEs (Contained Outdoor Viewing Environment), which were built in multiple sizes to accommodate different sized groups. The roped-off areas were spaced six feet apart, and the Moon Crush team provided contactless food and beverage service ordered via an app. Levine noted that for the first event, the team was able to deliver ordered items to the appropriate COVEs in less than three minutes.
"What we heard from guests is that the things we had to put in place due to COVID are the things they love the most," Levine said. "People loved the COVEs, they loved having a designated area where they could move. They didn't have to elbow their way back to their friends after they went to the bathroom, and they really liked being able to order food and drinks so they didn't have to wait in line and miss music and time with friends."
For more information on Moon Crush, visit mooncrush.live. For more information on Topeka, visit topeka.live.
Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Issue 5 (Summer 2021). Story by Abigail Abesamis Demarest. Photography by Will Byington.
