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When the idea of a weekend-long music and arts festival in downtown Las Vegas was brought up in 2013, more than a few doubts were raised.
In fact, the organizers of Life Is Beautiful had a hard time getting local businesses and residents onboard and struggled to find takers for the public art program that adorned downtown walls with murals from an international lineup of artists.
As the festival gets ready for its fourth year on Sept. 23 to 25, the organizers said the community support has increased substantially.
“The first two years you beg, and the last two years you get invited,” said Life Is Beautiful chief experience officer Ryan Doherty, adding that several downtown building owners approached them about offering up a wall for a mural this year.
“I get really excited about the art,” Doherty said. “It changes the city and the downtown area quite a bit, and it stays long after the musicians, chefs and speakers leave.”
Music is the festival’s primary draw, and as Life Is Beautiful has grown it has gotten easier to draw acts that before would either play on the Strip or not visit Las Vegas at all. The Lumineers, who have never played Vegas before, will be one of this year’s headliners at the festival. Other acts include Mumford & Sons, J. Cole, Leon Bridges and Jane’s Addiction.
“A lot of bands play Los Angeles, San Francisco, Arizona and they skip Las Vegas. Some don’t like the Strip and have a bias against playing shows there,” Doherty said. “We have to show them that playing downtown Las Vegas and the festival is different. Over the years the festival’s reputation has grown and musicians enjoy playing here. When Stevie Wonder chose to headline last year instead of playing the Strip, other artists took notice.”
Festivals can take time to find their groove and tap into both the local and national market, and Life Is Beautiful is no different. After holding a two-day festival in its inaugural year, it expanded to three days the next year. After having limited electronic dance music (EDM) programming the first two years, the festival partnered with Insomniac, producers of the Electric Daisy Carnival, for a dedicated EDM stage at Life Is Beautiful.
The festival also takes advantage of the great entertainment in its backyard. Cirque du Soleil has collaborated with the festival previously, and this year all of the Las Vegas-based shows will be represented with a day full of acrobatics. The food selection also draws on the star-studded lineup of restaurants and chefs in the area. New this year is a comedy stage and a 90-foot-long waterslide.
So far the sales have been strong, and the festival continues to progress, Doherty said.
“We are way ahead with ticket sales this year, and we feel very positive. It’s like owning a restaurant or bar, where it takes some time to see the return,” he said. “We have a lot of momentum right now, and the expectation is that we’ll turn a profit this year. We are well on our way.”
Source: travelweekly.com
