Did you know that awesome excursions are right here in your own backyard?  Or at least within a days’ travel?  Shorter trips still offer the features and feeling of a retreat, while keeping students closer to home.  Forum Music Festivals can be combined with a variety of appealing close to home travel for students.

Theme parks have re-opened – always a big hit for students.  Take a look at the many options for student groups.  Extra cleaning precautions ensure the safety of their guests, making theme parks among the safest places for student groups.

• Musical performance opportunities and workshops.  Many parks offer space to perform or private workshops.
• Outdoor attractions and activities. Which parks have plenty of outdoor rides versus indoor activities?  We can help with suggestions.
• Great value for student groups.  Our theme park packages are an economical way to deliver adjudication, fun, and team spirit within your group.
• Proactive about health and cleanliness  
  • Hand sanitation stations
  • Routine cleaning and sanitizing restrooms
  • Contactless payments in shops and dining locations.
  • Wiping down handrails and rides in an enhanced cleaning schedule.
• Pre-ordered food options minimize standing in extra lines.  Theme Park meal vouchers are an easy way to feed the group.
• Attendance monitoring.  Reservations may be required in some parks.   At Forum Festivals, when you purchase our festival package, your reservation is handled.
• Virtual queues that emphasize social distancing or reducing wait times are becoming popular. 

Outdoor Experiences are also wonderful alternatives for student group outings.  Combine a Forum Festival with one of the following:

• Baseball games are a fun way to achieve camaraderie within a group.  Contact us for specific game and group pricing.
• San Diego’s Old Town, the USS Midway, or Safari Park. Check out our San Diego festival dates here.
• How about an afternoon at the Zoo?  San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco all have wonderful Zoos.
• Harbor tours are exciting and available in L.A., San Diego, and San Francisco. 
• Explore historic Alcatraz Island in San Francisco – a favorite for students and adults alike.
• The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens offers space, culture, and fresh air! And don’t forget about Golden Gate Park or the L.A. Arboretum.
• Patio dining at group-friendly restaurants give students a chance to socialize together.  We’ll suggest outdoor dining to please your students’ appetites at a good value.

Theatre and Symphony performances go hand-in-hand with music education.  In California, this means that theatregoers must prove vaccination status.

• Most theatres in California are now requiring proof of vaccination or possible proof of a negative COVID test, making indoor seating safer.
• Masking is required in theatres.
• Group seating, when possible, helps with social distancing inside the theatre.   

Creative alternatives for fun student festival outings could include:

• Beach Day with Boxed Lunch – we can arrange box lunches to make it easy.
• Step-on Guides on your bus will take your students on a guided tour of a new destination.  You select when the group can hop off the bus to explore a specific site.
• Let’s book a Scavenger Hunt in a new city.  This is a great team-building activity.  For more details, contact us.
• If a hotel stay is in your plans, schedule a trivia night.  Contact us for hotel rental space to host your own game night.
• Let us book a night of bowling. Fun and competition while your students interact with each other.

As we inch towards a “new normal,” directors are re-building music programs, opening new doors for students, and deciding how music travel works in a post-quarantine world.  When your group is ready, we’re ready to help with support and assistance.  Close-to-home travel is a definite step in the direction of a well-rounded music education.  Let Forum Music Festivals help you get started.