Tribe over scale.

distinction — attributed to Laurie Kirby

Niche festivals with a clear point of view outperform commoditized larger ones. The first question is not how big but who is this for. Tribe identity is the moat. Scale without tribe is a marketing campaign waiting to fail — a wide audience that does not feel ownership, a sponsor base that cannot tell the difference between you and three other events, a press cycle that fades because the story is generic. The smaller festival with the sharper edge wins on every metric that matters past year three.

For founders weighing whether to chase audience growth or audience definition.

niche, audience, identity, moat