Association of Independent Festivals’ Post

For many festivals the balance between good relationships with their local community and sustaining their national profile/impact can be tricky and difficult to get right. If Hay On Wye festival ignored their local community & just focused on attracting thousands of people to the town, the town could rebel and shut up shop making the festival impossible to manage. Glastonbury continues to develop partnerships locally to try and create ways for the mega event to benefit people living & working in the local area. Things become a bit more complicated when balancing local companies who provide the majority of sponsorship for a festival but only because of the perceived national profile. Where do you put your resources and energy? Focus too much on the local community (which is where the money is) and might you reduce the national profile which is the reason local businesses part with their budgets? Add into this what it means to be a “national” event, and how this is possibly changing, and things become more interesting. In the “old” days national may have meant national media coverage, it may have meant audiences traveling to a festival, or even the industry flocking to see shows. But today the impact of national media is arguably declining, people are staying local more & more, and industry folk sometimes measure performers according to their social footprint before they go see them perform. In some instances live producers pick up social media stars before they have ever gone on stage and create their debut live shows. It’s difficult to get this right but the balance is crucial for any festival. Continue to stimulate partnerships locally, and engage with local communities, but also explore what it means to be national. When you get this right, you will make a massive contribution to the fizziness of your festival.

There's still time to help fund the Show Must Go On Climate Transition Plan #SMGO3 to bring a clear and bold 2030 climate vision for the sector, one which shows leadership and ambition in meeting our immediate and global challenges, aligns with government climate targets and the 1.5-degree global ambition. https://bit.ly/SMGO-3 Here John Rostron CEO Association of Independent Festivals shares the power in collaboration and why it's so important that the industry comes together to create a milestone in 2025 that takes us forward with a clear climate action plan to 2030. Vision: 2025 has established a cross-industry working group, chaired by LIVE (Live music Industry Venues and Entertainment)t CEO Jon Collins which brings experts together to review data and information, establish benchmarks, consider trends and opportunities, engage widely with the industry, and shape a workable vision and roadmap that is free for everyone in the sector; with an important element of the work being develop strong and evidenced requests to the Government for policy change and sector funding. The campaign has a £50,000 target for industry fundraising to match funds already raised from Arts Council England, EarthPercent, The Dixon Foundation and Festival Republic. There are options for every scale of event and industry organisations to contribute: https://bit.ly/SMGO-3 Without Walls UK, Julie's Bicycle, Event Production Show, Festival Republic You. Smart. Thing. National Outdoor Events Association, PRODUCTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION, The Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS) South Coast Events Forum, Soliphilia, The Fair We Are OPS betternotstop, Attitude is Everything, East Anglian Festival Network, LS Events, Brown Fox Comms, StandOut Multimedia, Access All Areas Magazine, Festival Insights and Awards

Articles like this should give us all a push and remind us what we’re striving for in 2025. I’ve been in the industry a long time, and the last few years have undoubtedly been some of the most worrying. Although those nerves haven’t gone, I’m very excited to see what 2025 has in store. Last year was no joke for the industry – over 72 festivals closed their doors, more than double the number in 2023. The industry took a serious beating, and to say the past few years have been challenging for festivals is an understatement. But despite it all, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of innovation, resilience, and opportunity. 🎶 Big Names, Bold Events Major launches like Come Together in Newcastle (70,000 capacity) and LIDO Festival in London’s Victoria Park (35,000 capacity) prove that large-scale events are achievable, even in the face of adversity. 🌱 Sustainability at the Forefront The sustainability battle continues, and it’s exciting to see LIDO Festival making waves as AEG’s most sustainable event yet, setting new benchmarks for eco-conscious festivals. With several 2024 initiatives taking root, 2025 could see major advancements in sustainable practices across the industry. 🌍 Independent Festivals on the Rise This is a personal favourite. Despite the challenges of recent years, boutique events like Found Festival and Homestead (1,500 capacity, exclusively for over-25s) are redefining what it means to create intimate, meaningful, and inclusive experiences. Hats off to the organisers who are stepping up with these bold concepts. I think what is most important is that despite rising costs and economic pressures ( which definitely still need addressing), the appetite for live music and shared experiences is undeniable. Organisers are innovating with creative, audience-focused ideas, making festivals more sustainable, engaging, and accessible. So YES I am excited for 2025…because no matter what it promises to be packed with fresh ideas and opportunities to reconnect. What are you most looking forward to in the festival scene this year? #festivals #liveeventsUK #innovation #sustainability #2025 #concessions https://joom.ag/I37d/p24

My posts often jump between positive and less positive aspects of the events and music industry, but I believe it’s crucial to highlight both sides. The negatives shouldn’t be ignored and they often drive meaningful improvements in other areas. So, with that being said, it’s great to see that despite the industry facing immense financial pressures—from rising costs to the fight for VAT reduction championed by the Association of Independent Festivals—there’s still positive progress. Vision: 2025 is proof of that. 🌍🎶 With 75% of its funding target reached, this initiative is driving the "Show Must Go On Sector Transition Plan" to help events hit net zero by 2030. It’s proof that sustainability and financial resilience can go hand in hand. 🤝 https://lnkd.in/dS7UJNKh #concessionmanagement #ukfestivals #ukeventsector #netzero30

The 'Festival Cities and Regions Workshop' at the European Festivals Association Arts Festivals Summit 2024 on Usedom brought together festival makers and city and region representatives to engage in a meaningful dialogue about the arts, festivals and their territories. Key conclusions included: 🌟The need to facilitate the conditions for more cooperation and dialogue between the cities, regions and their festivals. 🌟 The notion of ‘experiment’ and how festivals can be considered organisations and laboratories for new thinking that are building knowledge on the people and the territory. Festivals offer their local authorities insights about their inhabitants that go beyond statistics. 🌟The need for arts and culture to be more assertive on cultural policies to distinguish festivals’ artistic value from just touristic revenue and highlight their broader contribution to their communities. Sustainability stays high on the agenda also for the cities: what are local policies and measures that address sustainability in festivals? More on these findings later. This workshop was organised in partnership with “A Soul for Europe” and is embedded in the EFFE Seal for Festival Cities and Regions Initiative which aims to offer a platform for cities, regions and festivals alike to discuss knowledge, practices and policies from local to European level and back.

Rakhi is a brilliant festival. Its probably the most modern of festivals in that it bridges heritage with practicality. A festival where you affirm your alliance to your siblings with a ritual that is crafted very deliberately to cement obligations that are slowly fading away. But with this festival, these ties will continue to stay relevant. And be reimagined. I wish to offer a derivate festival of Rakhi. Brokhi. Brokhi is that festival where we meet our fellow gangsters. “Gangs” that we formed to escape institutions and the process of institutionalisation. Gangs from school. Gangs from college. From our first job. From our longest job. From when we were in the trenches during that gig in that company. From the time we were in the world of all those institutions that are not “family”. Brokhi is a form of Rakhi but you meet with the brothers and sisters you chose (or were chosen for you ) and not the ones you were born with. When you are in your 40s like I am, the filial bonds are amazing to recount. You truly see how rich you really are when you go through a few festivals. Who is really around you and how eager they are to be around you. But many of these are traditions and we submit to these traditions with a mix of volition and expectation. Seeing more volition fills you with joy. But Brokhi is all volition. All choice. And when you make that call to meet for Brokhi, you quickly learn how rich you really are in social currency. But Brokhi is not a once a year festival. Its more of a quarterly thing or H1 and H2 thing. And it isn’t a date on the calendar but if you do want one, the first Saturday of May typically works. This is usually start of financial year for many and the on-ramp to the year is approaching. A time to brace before take off. A time to reflect with your Brokhi on life in very different dimensions than your personal life. And the next good time for Brokhi is first week of December. Globally this is the start of a quiet period. As the name suggests, this time of the year you kick back with your Brokhis and make mulch wine and rum soaked raisin bread and savor esoteric tea brews. The rituals of Brokhi are simple. Meet as a group or 1:1. Groups are more fun. Recount stories. Figure out current coordinates of immediate and 2nd degree network and leave a few items as follow-ups. Repeat every 6 months. Beware though, your friendly HR may convert this to recruitment drives where they offer company wide Brokhi event to call your Brokhis to campus for games and tech talks. I’d surely attend those. But the ones outside of institutions is where the real bonds are reaffirmed. Perhaps the only “corporate bond” you should actively invest in. And its ok if you don’t like the name. I don’t either. But this was the best I could come up with. And if you look beyond the name, Brokhi is what most of us can ask for and actually have in real life! Our own (Pay)Pal mafia!!

We’re delighted to launch Festivals Forward today, the report featuring the results of our Festivals Mean Business sector-wide research. In the report, developed by BOP Consulting, we reflect on a sector that is ‘surviving rather than thriving’, but one that still has much to celebrate.  Some of the key findings include: ☑️ The 101 reporting festivals stage more than 11,000 events the length and breadth of the country. ☑️ They attract a total of more than five million attendances (ticketed and unticketed) to in-person events and more than 100,000 to online events. ☑️ Survey respondents engaged a total of 34,000 artists and ensembles in 2023, programming over 2,700 new works. ☑️ 86% of arts festivals deliver outreach work in schools and other community spaces, often year-round. We’ll be using this report as a vehicle to call for greater investment in arts festivals, supporting our members to go beyond survival and thrive in a challenging climate, in a way that explores and embeds sustainability, diversity and inclusivity. The Festivals Mean Business project has been supported by funding from Arts Council England, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e3he2ETG #BAFA2024

Three interesting reads out this week focusing on festivals - how one started, the importance of smaller independent festivals and the challenges the sector is facing right now. "According to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), it is expected that the UK will see over 100 festivals disappear without intervention. In February, AIF launched a campaign asking for a temporary VAT reduction from 20% to 5% on festival tickets that it says would save many event promoters from closure." you can find out more about the campaign here: https://lnkd.in/esp46c_X The Fair launched Your Festival Needs You pre-season to celebrate the industry and to highlight the very real challenges the sector is facing - you can find more and how to support the campaign here: https://lnkd.in/e5UC2sU3 How one festival got started: https://lnkd.in/ehZUP_C8 The importance of smaller independent festivals: https://lnkd.in/edTmsVPu The challenges the sector is facing right now: https://lnkd.in/e_iFGKnV

Key insights from the Access All Areas Magazine Conference... 🏌♀️ The opportunities for music offerings within 'sportainment' to continue growing are huge - a really exciting aspect of the industry to follow, as highlighted by Paul Dunstan, Nicki Seifert and Hannah Simpkins. 💚 Sustainability isn't just about the environment (though that is of course still a huge priority), it can be the way event organisers engage with surrounding communities, as stated by 👩🏻💻Hannah Cox. 🚀 Collaboration is key: event organisers, artists, management and agents must come together to find financial solutions that will secure the future of festivals, as pointed out by The Fair's CEO Nick Morgan. Thanks to Access All Areas Magazine for organising - a day of important conversations, healthy debate and shared insight. #eventprofs #events #eventindustry #eventconference #festivals