Festival stages run on tight changeovers. One act finishes, the next one is on stage within minutes, and in between the crew moves gear, swaps risers, and line-checks inputs. To make that work, festivals usually provide a shared backline package and ask bands to fit around it. This guide explains how festival backline typically works, what bands usually bring, and how to advance with the festival's production team.
How festival backline usually works
Most festivals hire a backline company to supply a standard package for each stage. That package is shared by every act on the stage, or sometimes by every act on a given day. The details vary by festival, but a typical package might include:
- A drum kit, sometimes with options for different shell sizes
- Guitar and bass amplifiers, often more than one model
- A keyboard or stage piano, with stands
- Stands, stools, and DI boxes
- Risers, often rolling risers for drums and keyboards
The festival's production team publishes the package to acts in advance, usually through the advance process. Bands are expected to use it where they can and bring or request anything else separately.
What bands usually bring
Even with a shared package, most bands bring personal items:
- Guitars and basses
- Pedalboards
- Cymbals, snare drum, and kick pedal
- Drumsticks and personal hardware, such as a throne
- In-ear monitor packs
- Keyboard controllers or laptops, if needed
Some festivals allow acts to bring their own amps or full kits, especially headliners. Others don't, because space and changeover time are tight. Ask the festival's production team what's allowed.
Shared kits and what to expect
A shared drum kit is set up for many drummers in a single day. Expect:
- Standard shell sizes, not a specific drummer's configuration
- Heads that may have played several sets
- Hardware positions that will need adjusting
- Limited time to adjust before the set
Drummers usually bring their own cymbals, snare, and pedal, and adjust the rest during changeover. If the drummer needs a specific configuration, raise it early with the festival. Our guide on what to specify for a drum kit rental explains what to ask for.
Shared amps work the same way: standard models, set up by the crew, with settings that will need adjusting.
Rolling risers
Many festival stages use rolling risers. The next act's drum kit or keyboard rig is set up on a riser behind or beside the stage while the current act plays. At changeover, the crew rolls the old riser off and the new one on.
Rolling risers save a lot of time, but they need planning:
- Know the riser sizes in advance
- Plan the kit or keyboard layout to fit the riser
- Know where and when the band can set up before their set
- Confirm whether the shared kit or the band's own gear goes on the riser
Changeovers
Changeover time on a festival stage is short. To make it work:
- Know the exact changeover time for your slot
- Know what the crew will do and what the band's techs will do
- Have your gear prepared and labeled before your changeover starts
- Line-check rather than full soundcheck, in most cases
If the band has a backline tech, they'll usually handle the band's own gear while the stage crew handles the shared package. See working with a backline tech for what a tech does.
Advancing a festival show
Festival advancing usually follows the festival's own process, often a form or portal with deadlines. Expect to provide:
- Stage plot and input list
- What you're bringing and what you need from the shared package
- Any additional backline you need, beyond the package
- Arrival, parking, and credential details
- Hospitality requests
Answer the advance on time. Festival production teams manage dozens of acts, and late answers can mean your needs are missed. Our guide to how to advance a show covers the general process.
Requesting extra backline
If you need something not in the package, such as a specific amp, a second keyboard, or a particular drum configuration, ask early. The festival may:
- Add it to the package, at no charge or for a fee
- Ask you to arrange it yourself with the festival's backline company
- Ask you to bring it, if space allows
If you're arranging your own rental, coordinate delivery with the festival's production team. Deliveries to a festival site often have strict windows and access routes. In Los Angeles, you can find backline rental companies that supply festivals and events.
Preparing the band for shared gear
Players who are used to their own rigs can find shared festival gear unsettling. A little preparation helps:
- Share the package list with the band early, so nobody is surprised on the day
- Ask players to note their settings on their own amps, so they can dial in a shared amp quickly
- Bring a small kit of essentials: spare strings, drumheads for the snare, tape, batteries, and cables
- Agree on priorities for the line check, so the few minutes available are spent on what matters most
- Plan a simpler setup if needed. A festival slot is not the place for a complicated new rig
For keyboard players, confirm the shared keyboard model and whether it supports the sounds and controls they need. Some players bring a controller and a laptop instead. Our keyboard and piano rental guide explains what to check.
Credentials, parking, and timings
Festival sites have their own logistics. Confirm in the advance:
- How many credentials the band and crew get, and where to collect them
- Where artist vehicles can park, and whether they can reach the stage
- The route from parking to the backstage area
- When the band must arrive before their set
Allow more time than you'd expect. Moving through a festival site with gear often takes longer than the map suggests.
Storage and staging areas
Find out where the band's gear will be before and after their set:
- Is there a backstage storage area, and is it secure?
- When can gear arrive, and when must it leave?
- Is there a staging area for preparing rolling risers?
- Is the storage area covered, in case of weather?
Outdoor stages and weather
Outdoor festivals bring extra considerations:
- Rain covers for gear in storage and on stage
- Heat and direct sun, which can affect instruments and electronics
- Wind, which affects cymbals, stands, and lightweight gear
- Uneven ground for loading in
Ask the festival what protection they provide and what you should bring.
After your set
Changeover out is as tight as changeover in. Plan:
- Who removes the band's gear from the stage, and where it goes
- How shared gear is left for the next act
- When the band's gear needs to leave the site
Leave the shared package as you found it, or better. Other acts are relying on it.
Common festival backline mistakes
- Not reading the package list. Bands arrive expecting gear that isn't there.
- Missing advance deadlines. Late answers lead to missed requests.
- Bringing gear that won't fit. Check riser sizes and storage space.
- Planning a full soundcheck. Most festival slots get a line check at most.
- Unlabeled gear. In a shared backstage area, cases get mixed up.
Frequently asked questions
Do festivals provide backline?
Most do, through a shared backline package for each stage. Bands are usually expected to use it and bring personal items such as guitars, pedalboards, cymbals, and snare drums.
What is a rolling riser?
A wheeled platform where the next act's drum kit or keyboard rig is set up before their set. At changeover, the crew rolls it into position, which saves time.
Can I bring my own amps to a festival?
Sometimes. It depends on the festival, the stage, and changeover time. Ask the festival's production team during the advance.