Senior Abigail Smith waited impatiently in the crowd for the performance to start. She was surrounded by tens of thousands of people who were crammed together like sardines. She had been in this same situation multiple other times over the last two days, going from stage to stage and waiting for artists to perform. Smith was at Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival, and she was about to witness what would turn out to be her favorite performance of the weekend.

“My favorite performer was Russ,” Smith said. “He put on a really good show and was a really good performer. He’s also from Atlanta, so there was a lot of energy because the audience was singing along to every song.”

Senior Callie Maffett also attended the festival, and she experienced a different performance that was her favorite.

“My favorite performer was AJR,” Maffett said. “I love their music, and they were really great performers.”

Even though Russ’ performance was her favorite, Smith also had to deal with waiting in a huge crowd of over 40,000 people.

“The crowd was definitely crazy because when everyone was waiting for Russ to come on stage, everyone was so close together,” Smith said. “There were a lot of annoying people trying to shove their way to the front. It was worth it in the end, though.”

Although the massive crowds can be stressful, they’re also a large part of what makes the performances so entertaining.

“One specific moment was during Judah and the Lion’s performance when they told us to dance for the last 5 minutes of their concert,” Maffett said. “It was so intense and hype during this moment, and it was amazing.”

In total, close to 80,000 people attended the annual festival, which took place in Piedmont Park. The lineup for the weekend included Bruno Mars, Mumford and Sons, Future, Blink-182 and many more artists. The festival also had an Artist Signing Stage where fans could meet some of the performers.

“One of my favorite moments was when I got to meet Dua Lipa and Zara Larsson, even though my friends and I had to wait three hours to meet Dua Lipa,” Smith said. “They were both really nice and cool, and it was a really unique experience.“

Between performances, there is downtime that allows festival attendees to buy food from a variety of local food vendors, relax at lounges, or hang out with friends.

“Besides performances, my favorite part of the festival was getting to be with my close friends and seeing so many other people that I knew who were also there,” Maffett said.

Despite the crowds and heat, both Smith and Maffett would recommend Music Midtown to anyone.

“Even though it can be really hot and tiring, I always make so many fun memories with my friends,” Smith said. “It’s always one of my favorite times of the year.”