#1 ·
Is it just me, or is the sheer scale of "mega-events" these days starting to feel a bit hollow? I was scrolling through some schedules earlier, and I noticed how many of these massive, multi-night spectacles are being thrown at us lately. It feels like every major brand, whether it’s in sports, music, or even whatever niche subcultures you follow, is constantly trying to expand their "tentpole" events into these massive, weekend-long marathons.
I remember back in the day when a big event felt like a singular, concentrated moment. You knew it was coming, it felt special, and there was a sense of scarcity that made it feel important. Now, it feels like if a company isn't hosting a two-night extravaganza with a dozen different "segments" or "matchups," they aren't really doing it right. But I have to wonder: at what point does "more" actually become "less"?
I went to a massive music festival a couple of years ago—it was one of those three-day things where they had stages set up in every corner of a field. By the end of the second day, I was exhausted. Not because I was having a bad time, but because the sheer volume of "content" was overwhelming. I couldn't actually focus on any one performer because there was always something else happening, another stage to run to, another "must-see" moment being pushed. It felt like the organizers were more interested in maximizing the number of tickets sold and the number of "moments" created than in letting the audience actually breathe and absorb the experience.
I think we’re seeing this pattern everywhere. It’s a race to the bottom of the attention economy. If you can turn a one-night show into a two-night event, you double your opportunities for merchandise sales, you double your advertising slots, and you keep people in your ecosystem longer. But from a consumer standpoint, does it actually add value? Or are we just paying more for a diluted experience where the "big moments" get lost in a sea of filler?
When you have a dozen different things happening over a weekend, the stakes start to feel lower. If everything is "epic," then nothing is epic. If there are six different trophies or honors being handed out in a single window, the prestige of each one starts to bleed into the next. It feels like we’re moving toward a world where "content" is king, and "events" are just just long-form content delivery systems.
I’m curious to see if anyone else feels this sense of burnout. I love high-stakes competition and big spectacles as much as the next person, but I find myself craving that old-school, concentrated energy where one single night defines an entire era.
Do you think the trend toward these massive, multi-day "event weekends" is actually improving the quality of what we watch, or is it just a way for industries to squeeze more money out of us by bloating the schedule?
I remember back in the day when a big event felt like a singular, concentrated moment. You knew it was coming, it felt special, and there was a sense of scarcity that made it feel important. Now, it feels like if a company isn't hosting a two-night extravaganza with a dozen different "segments" or "matchups," they aren't really doing it right. But I have to wonder: at what point does "more" actually become "less"?
I went to a massive music festival a couple of years ago—it was one of those three-day things where they had stages set up in every corner of a field. By the end of the second day, I was exhausted. Not because I was having a bad time, but because the sheer volume of "content" was overwhelming. I couldn't actually focus on any one performer because there was always something else happening, another stage to run to, another "must-see" moment being pushed. It felt like the organizers were more interested in maximizing the number of tickets sold and the number of "moments" created than in letting the audience actually breathe and absorb the experience.
I think we’re seeing this pattern everywhere. It’s a race to the bottom of the attention economy. If you can turn a one-night show into a two-night event, you double your opportunities for merchandise sales, you double your advertising slots, and you keep people in your ecosystem longer. But from a consumer standpoint, does it actually add value? Or are we just paying more for a diluted experience where the "big moments" get lost in a sea of filler?
When you have a dozen different things happening over a weekend, the stakes start to feel lower. If everything is "epic," then nothing is epic. If there are six different trophies or honors being handed out in a single window, the prestige of each one starts to bleed into the next. It feels like we’re moving toward a world where "content" is king, and "events" are just just long-form content delivery systems.
I’m curious to see if anyone else feels this sense of burnout. I love high-stakes competition and big spectacles as much as the next person, but I find myself craving that old-school, concentrated energy where one single night defines an entire era.
Do you think the trend toward these massive, multi-day "event weekends" is actually improving the quality of what we watch, or is it just a way for industries to squeeze more money out of us by bloating the schedule?