The festival was launched in 2018, the same year that Scott released his album of the same name. The motivations of the festival were described as “bring[ing] back the beloved spirit and nostalgia of AstroWorld, making a childhood dream of Travis’ come true.“ The original lineup featured mostly hip-hop artists such as Young Thug, Post Malone, Metro Boomin and Scott himself. Performances generally alternate between two stages called "Thrills" and "Chills" with the "Chills" stage being the larger of the two.(Map of Astroworld) - ASTROWORLD FEST on Twitter The making of the festival as well as the album were the subjects of the 2019 Netflix original film, Look Mom I Can Fly.
