With weeks of ‘Zombie Government’ behind us, a period in which industry bodies could only make strong suggestions about possible solutions to the impending perfect storm, voices are once again raised in welcoming new faces, critiquing support packages and reiterating calls for further measures. On the announcement of the appointment of Michelle Donelan as UK Culture Secretary, AIF CEO, Paul Reed said: “Congratulations to Michelle Donelan MP on her appointment as Secretary of State at DCMS. It remains a uniquely challenging time for festivals as we look to the 2023 season. Although now fully operational, we are still in a…
Author: Andy Lenthall
You may know Richard West, most likely as Mr C, front man of The Shamen, or as a nightclub owner (The End) , studio owner, DJ, label boss… a true pioneer and still a purveyor of fine underground dance music, it was perhaps only a matter of time before he created a festival to celebrate the genre, and that’s the very reason we caught up on his first day back at home in LA after a frantic few weeks in London dealing with the challenges of the 2nd edition of Summer Love. First, we need to know how it came…
A new filing at Companies House, ending the moratorium filed recently by Festicket, states that “the company is unable to pay moratorium debts [and] pre-moratorium debts for which the company does not have a payment holiday during the moratorium”. It had been suggested that the moratorium had been filed as talks were being held about a possible purchase or restructuring, but papers filed as the moratorium ended stated that : “The moratorium is no longer likely to result in the rescue of the company as a going concern. The board resolved on 29 Aug that the company should enter administration…
Serious Stages rounded off an incredible festival summer, supplying Reading and Leeds festivals with two TZ Roof main stages and multiple platforms, hosting a line-up featuring Dave, The 1975 and The Arctic Monkeys, 26th – 28th August 2022. Serious Stages’ contribution to the UK’s first full festival season since 2019 saw 140 stages built across 28 festival sites in the UK. This combined 36 stage roofs, plus tented platforms, hosting in excess of 2,000 artists, along with installing custom-designed front-of-house towers, assisted viewing platforms, speaker delay towers and creative installations. Serious has focused on large-scale engineering and logistics solutions across…
After a much talked about and sold-out event in 2022, Land Beyond is back and bigger than ever from 28th -30th April 2023. 2023 sees the event expanding from one to three days, officially becoming Brighton’s first ever camping electronic music festival, as well as doubling the number of stages to six in all. World-renownedbrands such as DNB All Stars, CruCast, LOCUS!, Disco Disco, Mixtape Madness, Grime Originals and more will be hosting a mouthwatering line-up of international talents. Last year’s Land Beyond was a real triumph in the face of post-Covid adversity. A sold-out crowd packed in and all…
If you’re given the chance to interview Superbloom Festival Director, Fruzsina Szep, you take it; but you do so in the knowledge that the story of its launch will be the story of a working life’s experience coupled with, in this case, precious childhood memories. The Superbloom story doesn’t start with Fruzsina’s creative input and development of Sziget, the beginnings come later in our conversation, but her passion for festivals and their content was fostered there. However, 2014 saw an offer from Goodlive and their partners in developing the Lollapalooza brand in Europe, including Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn, to join…
Boomtown has partnered with an organic recycling organisation, Eco Sustainable Solutions, to help deliver a sustainable solution to its food waste. Having committed to becoming a circular festival with net zero scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 2025, Boomtown’s organisers are working towards transforming Boomtown into a sustainable city that’s run entirely on renewable energy. Organisers are looking to adopt a circular economy that rejects a throwaway society and has minimal impact on the local environment which includes limiting the amount of waste going to landfill. The food waste from the festival this year was transported to Eco’s anaerobic…
Ticketmaster has announced an entirely new way for event organizers to enhance their fans’ experiences through digital collectible NFTs. Event organizers who sell live events tickets on Ticketmaster now have the ability to issue NFTs before, during and after live events. To date, the offering is already seeing significant traction, with Ticketmaster minting more than 5 million NFTs for event organizers on the Flow blockchain. This new digital feature provides fans with the unique opportunity to extend their live event experience through digital keepsakes – that can be shared online or activated to access unique loyalty rewards, VIP engagement opportunities…
During a busy summer that saw GMC Events involved in the production of shows such as Shambala, Arcadia, Somerset House sessions, Shindig and Bristol Pride, director Ryan Wilmott took time to reflect on the changes he sees as necessary to secure the future of festivals, he shared them with us: There are few industries that haven’t taken a hit over the past few years; but with social distancing, limitation of mass gatherings and systemic disregard at the hands of the state, for the live events industry it has felt like a direct attack. As is the case within most sectors,…
Festival, accommodation and travel packaging company, Festicket, has lodged a ‘notice of commencement of moratorium’ with Companies House. The submission mans that no legal action can be taken against the company without court approval. The move is a temporary measure taken by companies seeking to address certain financial challenges, the company has not formally commented in their current position. In a story in The Ticketing Business, a source said that the firm was in talks with a third party, possibly about buying the business. The filing at companies house states that Festicket is working with ReSolve Advisory Limited; the moratorium…