Dee Parsons, CEO of the Better Green Group, a leading creative design and build production agency specialising in experiential marketing, is keen to share the part they play in successful project delivery, something that is often prevented by contractual obligations. In the crazy beautiful world of festival and brand activation, every player in the supply chain contributes significantly to the final result. We all stand side by side in those final moments just before opening, after an emotional journey of hundreds of calls, meetings, and months of build-up – then we end, as a solid team, together, proud. So why…
Author: Andy Lenthall
If you go to one UK festival this year – choose this one, that’s what the press release says and the reasoning is pretty compelling. Om & Bass Festival brands itself as the ‘single most fun and inclusive wellbeing festival on the planet’ with workshops ranging from yoga and tai-chi to cacao ceremonies, and DJ sets with Drum and Bass Godfathers Grooverider and Nikki Blackmarket. It takes place in Oxfordshire each September and is a huge fundraiser for Yoga Stops Traffick – fighting human trafficking in India. “As long as you don’t class yourself as a ‘spiritual snob,’ you’re invited!”,…
60 UK festivals have now announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024. Perhaps most striking among the most recent, Secret Garden Party (Cambridgeshire) announced that this year will be its last, burning its main stage at the end of its July weekend as a symbol of the challenges facing independent festivals. Cosmic Roots Festival (Basingstoke) and Witcombe Festival (Gloucester) are also among those that have cancelled 2024 events citing rising costs among the reasons for the decision. Without intervention, it’s expected that the UK will see over 100 festivals disappear in 2024 due to the pressures of unpredictable…
Oasis Festival reveals the complete lineup of acts for the festival’s 8th edition, which takes place from 6-8 September 2024 in Marrakech. The Moroccan electronic music festival also confirms it will take a break next year before returning with a brand new format in 2026. Five Oasis Festival debutants complete the lineup for Oasis 2024, joining an already cultured mix of acts including Amine K, Anz, Driss Bennis, Haai, Jungle, Joy Orbison, Laurent Garnier, Nooriyah, Sama’ Abdulhadim, TSHA, and many more. Leading the new wave of acts are: UK star Interplanetary Criminal, who has energised the UKG scene and led its revival…
A Greener Future (AGF), the not-for-profit company committed to helping events, festivals and venues around the world to become more sustainable, announce their Autumn training schedule with events taking place in London and Manchester. As the global events industry seeks to become sustainable and government bodies such as DCMS in the UK calling for environmental standards for festivals, what better place to turn to for training than the founders of the world’s first green standards and certification for festivals and events – A Greener Future. On 7th October, AGF is introducing a brand-new course – Creating a Sustainability Policy &…
Boundary Brighton Festival (28 September, Stanmer Park, Brighton) has launched a ‘Pay What You Can Afford’ initiative. For one week only (14th – 21st August), Boundary aims to give back to the community that helped it become Brighton’s biggest electronic music festival, in particular 18 – 24 year-olds forced to cut back on going out due to the cost-of-living crisis. Boundary will allocate 1,000 tickets to this campaign and festival-goers can buy up to two each at whatever price they can afford, starting from just £10 per ticket. Boundary Brighton will donate 25% of each ticket sale from this new…
The Showman’s Show, Qdos Event Hire, and the National Outdoor Event Association (NOEA) have partnered to launch the Event 100 Club. The collaboration, borne out of the combined ages of the organisations, as they each celebrate significant anniversaries, will see the launch of an experiential events exhibition at The Showman’s Show this autumn, and the creation of a networking club for industry professionals. This year NOEA, The Showman’s Show, and Qdos will celebrate their 45th, 40th, and 15th, anniversaries respectively, and will work to bring their collective experience together, in a physical form, where the industry can meet, network and…
Jaguar Land Rover brand, Defender, has announced a partnership with Lost Village Festival. Defender say that the partnership with Lost Village offers both a practical solution to the logistical challenges of a large scale open-air event, but also an opportunity to build lasting memories for guests, something the Defender is renowned for. Defender and Lost Village have worked together to create ‘The Outpost’, a stage for new and established artists and a multi-faceted guest experience. Based in a rugged, isolated part of the wooded site, curated with lighting and architectural installations, ‘The Outpost’ promises to create a sense of intrepid…
After its ‘Take Your Tent Home’ campaign won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the 2023 UK Festival Awards, Kendal Calling 2024 has drawn to a close and as the fields of Lowther Deer Park return to the wildlife that calls it home, the festival is delighted to share the results of its Leave Nothing But Memories campaign. Calling on everyone in attendance from the festival goers and staff, to traders and artists, the campaign was created to encourage collective efforts to make Kendal Calling one of the greenest festivals in the UK. The call-to-action aims to promote greener festival-going,…
Molson Coors Beverage Company has been announced as the official sponsor and exclusive pouring rights partner for Uber One presents All Points East, in a new five-year agreement aimed at elevating the festival experience. As a result of the new partnership with Molson Coors, Madrí Excepcional, the third-biggest lager brand by value in the on-trade[1], will headline the festival’s drinks lineup. Music lovers will also be able to enjoy a broad range of lagers, ales and ciders from other leading Molson Coors brands, including Sharp’s Doom Bar and Atlantic Pale Ale, Aspall Cyder, Rekorderlig and Cobra Zero, which will all be available…