MUSIC FESTIVALS AS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
MUSIC FESTIVALS AS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
Drug use at music festivals
The use of drugs is common in many religious traditions as well as at music festivals. A huge part of music festival and rave culture is the consumption of drugs, namely psychedelics. The theme of escaping reality and the mundane daily activities of “normal” life is prevalent in both traditional religion and music festivals. Whether it be wine in the Roman Catholic mass, marijuana in Rastafarianism, or ayahuasca in South American tribal communities, the consumption of drugs is a fundamental component of many organized religions practiced around the world. At music festivals common drugs used are alcohol, marijuana, and a variety of psychedelic substances such as mushrooms and LSD (acid).
What is religious about consuming drugs? Many festival goers would argue that they use drugs to enhance their experience of the live music, the art surrounding the festival, or just to simply enjoy the special time on another level. I know from my own experience at Osheaga that the artists who perform at the festival can actually have an influence on festival attendees' decision to experiment with drugs. For example, many of the performers have songs that are about doing drugs and partying hard, which, in my opinion, contributes to the overarching atmosphere that festivals have. Not only do many of the music artists that attend pop music festivals such as Osheaga perform songs that are drug related, these artists tend to be idolized by fans or even viewed as god-like to some. Due to the god-like aura some performers have to their fans, they can have considerable impact on them in a way similar to that of a priest or a worship leader in an organized religion.
Ayahuasca Ceremony
Psychedelics
Many religions use psychedelic drugs such as the practice of ayahuasca ceremonies in South American tribal communities for example, but, in the context of music festivals, psychedelics are often used to create or experience new religious adventures. Some festival goers use psychedelic substances to create a new religious movement of sorts. I believe the influence of music festivals and the new experiences of living at a higher level as well as the community they provide individuals with play a huge role in the consumption of psychedelic drugs. This aspect of music festivals has its roots in the origin of pop music festivals themselves in the 1960's where performers and audiences alike indulged in psychedelic drug use at events such as Monterey in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. These festivals drew inspiration from the much publicized psychedelic drug use of groups like the Beatles whose search for alternate religious experiences was in turn influenced by writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and the Beat generation from the 1950's.
