It’s late-July, and in what seems like a blink of the eye we’re edging ever closer to the end of the UK festival season. We’ve seen Rod Stewart earn his Glastonbury flowers, experienced the second coming of BRAT summer, and witnessed the resurgence of the bucket hat amid Oasis-mania.
But while this year’s live music scene has been dominated by headline acts, there’s a gulf widening in the festival market. The Glastonburys of this world are always going to be vital cultural behemoths, but this is all while smaller festivals continue to struggle. As reported by Music Week in June, at least 39 festivals have been cancelled in 2025, while rising costs in everything from artist fees to portaloos makes creating a new festival a near-impossibility.
This is already leading festivals to become less about a holistic weekend experience, but rather exclusive events only for those who can afford the ticket price. But there’s another way of doing things. Festivals don’t need to have the biggest acts playing in a rented field to be successful. They just need to serve their community.
That’s the general mantra of Arts Trust, an organisation dedicated to bringing culture to public spaces in the south of England. Their work is particularly concentrated in marginalised and low income communities. These are places where musicians wouldn’t usually tour and where public transport is barely existent, but crucially, where community is at the heart.
Arts Trust was founded in 2012 as a way to “reduce loneliness and isolation” through culture, says Martin Collins, CEO and Founder of the Arts Trust. This means bringing diverse cultural events to underserved communities, with an emphasis on representation and affordability. But perhaps more importantly, Arts Trust aims to build community cohesion for the long-term. “People in hyperlocal communities need somewhere to go to that’s not work or school. They need structures where they can have fun, meet people and get out of their own bubbles.“
“It’s about reigniting the village fête. It’s about meeting your neighbours,” Martin goes on to say. “There are communities that are completely forgotten about. The likes of Glastonbury and Latitudes are amazing, and they have a place without question. But a lot of the communities that we work can’t afford those large scale festivals. And also, sometimes, a big scale, perhaps intimidating environment is just not for them.“
Providing the means for a weekend festival can sometimes be relatively simple. “We recently hosted 600 people at a roller skating rink on a piece of land where you’d usually be lucky to find a pigeon,” laughs Martin. But Martin’s work spreads further than simply gifting roller skates to kids high on sugar.
This year, Arts Trust are hosting events such as the Summer Sounds: Music & Food Festival in St. Osyth, Essex, an area that experiences some of the highest levels of poverty in the UK. Arts Trust also produces the King’s Cross Summer Sounds series in London, and Summer in the Park across Greenwich.
“People need to have ownership over what happens in their local area”
There’s a unique community building element that’s inherent in what the Arts Trust does, something that doesn’t quite exist with major festivals or green field gatherings in the same way. That’s not to say festival-goers don’t meet lifelong friends at a main stage or become best friends with a stranger after five minutes. But after the dust has settled and festival organisers have shipped off from their temporarily rented weekend field, that community is dispersed. Arts Trust are hoping to deliver something longer lasting. Something that truly benefits the communities they work in when the music stops.
“The major festivals will never shut down, and they have a real place. But people need to have ownership over what happens in their local area,” says Martin. “It’s so important for people to walk down the road and be a part of something that’s greater than you and brings everyone together. People need a third place outside of home and work. Historically, it used to be the pub, but if people don’t do that, where is their third place? With what we do, people can be educated in culture, and people don’t have to spend money to do it.“
From Martin’s experience, this ethos has delivered real, tangible experiences for festival-goers. “Some of the most rewarding moments come when you see a Grandma and Granchild holding hands and skating together. Where else would you get to do that?” says Martin. But to achieve this, it’s crucial for Martin and his team to work closely with communities to create a programme that has a lasting, meaningful impact.
Far too often, festivals enter rural communities, orchestrate three days of musical experiences, pack up, leave, and do the same the next year. While local councils and businesses may enjoy the boost in income, this is often not felt amongst those who amongst the towns and villages where a festival site calls home.
“We want to create events where people meet their neighbours,” says Martin. “It takes time and trust to build those relationships. At first, we go in ridiculously small. That can be something as simple as a two hour workshop where people can meet. Quite often, when you start talking, you quickly discover that there is talent in these areas, but they lack the logistics and finances. That’s where we can come in and provide everything they need, from security and production to all other logistics.“
Hyperlocal events can’t be treated as a a one size fits all endeavour, either. “The key thing is representation,” says Martin. “Local people need to feel that they are being represented, but in non-tokenistic way. These events need to be driven by the community, rather than being imposed upon the community. And often, we always hear people say that it was great to see themselves reflected in this, and to see their community involved. That’s the key thing.“
“You also don’t need to throw millions of pounds running similar events,” he goes on to say. “There are other ways of doing things.“
In that, there is a question of whether organisations such as Arts Trust should exist. Arts Trust and others like it deliver undeniably great and important work, but in an environment where charity should not need to exist.
Arts Trust and many other organisations like it, operate in one of the world’s richest nations, where for the past 15 years arts funding has been cut and austerity has been introduced. In that, the organisation has to navigate a unique landscape in the festival market.
Whereas the likes of Wireless and Reading & Leeds can fill financial gaps through deep corporate and sponsorship pockets, organisations such as the Arts Trust relies on funding from the Arts Council and National Lottery. And as governments change, so does the way Arts Trust is funded. But “our role is to provide moments of joy and happiness, and, a safe space for people to come together,” says Martin. “That’s what we’ll continue to do, regardless of government change.“
Whatever the challenges, hurdles, bumps in the road or whatever you want to call it, there are key reasons to why organisations like Arts Trust should not only exist, but thrive. And it’s a relatively simple one. “Do not underestimate your own community,” says Martin. “There’s skill, expertise and talent in these local areas. It’s about finding that, raising aspirations and giving people a platform to show people what talent is there.”
The St. Osyth Summer Sounds: Music & Food Festival takes place from 30-31 August at the St Osyth Priory, Essex. You can find tickets here.
Summer in the Park in Greenwich is funded by the National Lottery and Arts Council England. St Osyth Summer Sounds: Music & Food Festival in St. Osyth, Tendring, is subsided by Arts Trust and Arts Council England. The King’s Cross Summer Sounds is funded by Kings Cross and Arts Council England.
