Are Coachella and Burning Man Facing Decline?
This B2 lesson asks whether big music festivals like Coachella and Burning Man are losing their appeal. Students read a short article about declining ticket sales, learn vocabulary like “pent-up demand” and “echo chambers,” and debate whether festivals can survive rising costs and changing listening habits. It works best with students who follow music or pop culture, but the business angle pulls in everyone else too.
Lesson overview
- Learn twelve vocabulary words related to ticket sales, economics, and audience behavior
- Read an article about the challenges facing Coachella, Burning Man, and other major festivals
- Debate whether music festivals are in decline and how they should adapt to survive
- Plan a music festival in groups, covering lineup, location, marketing, and problem-solving
Student's Version (Light/Dark)
Teacher's Version (Answer Keys)
Printable Classroom Version (A4)
| Level | Vocabulary | Reading Time | Lesson Time |
| B2 / Upper-Intermediate | 12 words | 433 words / 3 min | 60 min |
Vocabulary
- Scramble
- Secondary market
- Flog
- Torrential rain
- Pent-up demand
- Soaring Prices
- A-list
- Algorithmic recommendations
- Fragmented market
- Echo chambers
- Rapturous reception
- Waning
Contents
- Lead-in
- Vocabulary preview
- Vocabulary
- Article
- Summary
- Discussion
- Debate
- Pair work
The lead-in has three parts that build on each other. First, students describe a concert they’ve been to without naming the artist while others guess. This is a nice warm-up because it gets everyone listening. Then ask what makes a festival successful and have students name three things. Finally, show the list of challenges like rising costs, weak ticket sales, and environmental concerns. Students pick the ones they think are most serious and explain why. This sets up the reading nicely because the article covers many of the same problems.
Before the article, go through the twelve vocabulary words. Split them into two groups. The first six are more concrete: “scramble,” “secondary market,” “flog,” “torrential rain,” “pent-up demand,” and “soaring prices.” The second six are more abstract: “A-list,” “algorithmic recommendations,” “fragmented market,” “echo chambers,” “rapturous reception,” and “waning.” The abstract ones will need more time. Use real examples like “Spotify’s algorithm creates echo chambers because it keeps suggesting similar music” to make the meanings click.
Have students read the article in pairs or small groups. At 433 words, it’s a quick read, but the vocabulary is dense. After reading, the summary activity asks students to expand on five themes using suggested keywords: ticket sales trends, weather challenges, economic factors, changes in listening habits, and festival reception. Each theme comes with a word bank, so students aren’t starting from zero. The two quotes about Blur at Coachella and Rita Ora at Mighty Hoopla add a human angle that students enjoy discussing.
The discussion questions and three debate topics take up the second half of the lesson. For the debates, split the class in two. Topics cover whether festivals will survive, whether lineups should be diverse or genre-specific, and whether festivals are accessible enough. Give each side a few minutes to prepare arguments before starting. Wrap up with the festival planning project. Groups design their own festival, choosing a location, target audience, performer lineup, and marketing plan. They also need to address the challenges from the article. Each group presents to the class and explains why their festival would work. This ties everything together and gives students a chance to use the new vocabulary in a creative, practical way.
