Do Ravers Actually Want Shorter Festival Sets?

Imagine this: you are walking into the festival grounds, wristband tight, glitter still sticking to your face from the pregame, knowing you are about to see your favorite artist. You have been waiting all day for this headliner. You’ve survived the long lines, the sun, the overpriced waters, and the never-ending trek from the parking lot, all for this moment. The lights flash, the bass shakes the earth, and for the next 60 minutes, you are completely lost in the music. It feels euphoric, but as soon as the artist says their goodbyes and the lights come up, you feel just a little hollow. Unsatiated, like you just had an appetizer when you came ready for a five-course meal. That leaves you wondering…are these shorter festival sets really better, or are we all just settling for a new norm?

Festival sets have been getting shorter, and there are a lot of reasons behind it. The most obvious is that more artists per lineup equals more ticket sales. Festivals love to boast about stacked lineups, but with more names comes less stage time for each of them. Curfews and noise ordinances limit how late the music can go, especially in cities that strictly enforce quiet hours. So festival organizers have to make tough decisions about who gets longer slots and who gets squeezed into 45 minutes. On top of that, we live in a social media-driven world where everything is optimized for the clip. The culture of Instagram reels, TikToks, and livestream moments has changed the way sets are built. Artists know they need to hit their biggest tracks and viral remixes quickly because people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. In some ways, setlists are being built with the algorithm in mind.

There is definitely a case to be made for shorter sets. A well-crafted 60-minute set can be pure adrenaline, nothing but banger after banger with no filler in sight. For fans who are there to sing along to the top tracks and get a couple of good videos for their feed, an hour might feel like the perfect sweet spot. Shorter sets also allow you to see more artists in one night, bouncing between stages and collecting moments. You can experience a little bit of everyone instead of being locked into one act for half the night.

But for many ravers, especially those who have been in the scene for years, shorter sets leave something missing. The heart of dance music has always been about the journey, not just the destination. The best sets build and evolve, telling a story through sound. They take you up, bring you back down, and make you feel something along the way. When you compress everything into 60 minutes, there is no space for deeper cuts, no room for DJs to take risks or explore unexpected directions. They have to go full-throttle from start to finish. It can start to feel more like a Spotify playlist than a living, breathing performance.

Maybe the answer lies in giving us options. Imagine a festival with a mix of set lengths…some 45-minute firestorms for the people who want to hop around and keep the energy high, and some 90-minute or even two-hour journey sets for those who crave a deeper connection with the music. This balance would let festivals keep their lineups stacked while still honoring the art form of a true extended set.

Some of the most legendary moments in dance music history were born from marathon sets. In 2016, Carl Cox closed Space Ibiza after a 15-year residency with a nine-hour all-vinyl set, an emotional farewell that honored both the club’s history and his own roots. The energy in that room built and shifted all night, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience that left everyone who was there feeling part of something historic. Another unforgettable moment came at Coachella 2023, when Four Tet, Fred again.., and Skrillex stepped in to close the festival after Frank Ocean dropped out at the last minute. Their impromptu two-hour performance blended house, garage, dubstep, and pop into a spontaneous masterpiece that people are still talking about today. Moments like those are proof that longer sets can create magic that cannot be replicated in 60 minutes.

Think about what you want as a fan: is it the quick dopamine hits, or a fully immersive ride? The next time you’re staring at a festival lineup, pay attention to the set times. See which ones leave you feeling the most satisfied. You might discover that what you really crave isn’t just another drop, but the slow, beautiful build of a night that takes you somewhere unexpected.