Stewart Copeland, musician, legendary drummer and founder of the band The Police and Nigerian singer-songwriter Yemi Alade succeed Jean-Michel Jarre as official Ambassadors of MIDƐM+24. MIDƐM+24, a global event dedicated to music professionals, is organised by the Mairie de Cannes and the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in collaboration with Hopscotch and with the support of Allover/Panda Events. After a successful pre-edition in January 2023 which saw Jean-Michel Jarre give three immersive live concerts, the enduring electronic pioneer has renewed his support for this year’s event as MIDƐM+24 “honorary ambassador”. Bringing together one of the world’s best drummers, the…
Author: Andy Lenthall
‘The fairies told me to do it’ might not work as a defence for childhood (or adult) misbehaviour but, for Karen Kay, flickers of light, flashes of inspiration and a lifelong passion for all things fairy have led to success as an author, publisher and festival organiser. Bringing a fairy flavour to the UK Festival Awards every year, the 3 Wishes Fairy Festival clan took the Grassroots gong at the 2022 awards and, after meeting, we just had to catch up and get the full story. Before we get into festival chat, let’s talk fairies. “For me personally, my connection…
The Supervisory Board of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) has appointed Anna van Nunen as the new General Manager. With this appointment, ESNS, the platform for emerging European music talent, gains a new director with extensive experience in the festival world and significant knowledge of innovation and sustainability. With Groningen roots and a profound passion for the cultural sector, Anna brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. Her appointment is effective from March 18, 2023, succeeding Dago Houben, who announced his departure last June. Frans Vreeke temporarily filled the position in the interim. Anna van Nunen is an experienced executive…
Truck Festival has announced details of its comprehensive In The Community programme and the impact its 2023 initiatives had on causes and organisations across Oxfordshire and beyond. Leading the way to ensure that the festival’s impact is both positive and extends further than just the festival weekend, 2023’s Truck In The Community programme ensured over £161,000 was raised for causes, campaigns and organisations across a wide array of different charity sectors. Through a combination of partnerships, opportunities and wider grant funding through Truck In The Community and the Truck Trust – Truck Festival once again stepped up as a festival…
Germany’s Sea You Festival returns for three days intead of the usual two from 19th July – 21st July. Lake Tunisee near Freiburg provides the backdrop for a soundtrack featuring e the likes of 999999999, Adam Beyer, Fisher, Boris Brejcha, Boys Noize, Charlie Sparks B2b Parfait, Dax J, Dom Dolla, Hugel, Kobosil, I Hate Models, Len Faki, Lilly Palmer, Pan-Pot, Reinier Zonneveld (Live), Rodriguez Jr. (Live), Shlømo, Worakls Orchestra and many more. The Sea You Festival is one of the most popular electronic music festivals in Germany. Water sports and other activities in and on the lake ensure the “Beach…
Coventry City Council has been awarded £750,000 of Commonwealth Games legacy funding to support two festivals taking place in the city this year. Coventry’s annual Godiva Festival has been awarded £500,000 from the Major Event Fund, whilst a proposal submitted for a new Caribbean festival, known as Caribbean Reggae Fever, has been awarded £250,000. Godiva Festival is set to take place from Friday 5 July – Sunday 7 July in Coventry’s War Memorial Park with the lineup set to be announced in the coming weeks. Caribbean Reggae Fever will be held in the War Memorial Park on 20 July. The…
It’s been a milestone year for independent live music company DHP Family. The company welcomed more than 1.5 million people through their doors in 2023 across its portfolio of venues, shows, tours, club nights and festivals, as well as being crowned Promoter of the Year at the 2023 UK Festival Awards. DHP Family MD George Akins said: “It’s been a great year across the board for us in 2023, it feels like the gloom of the early 2020s is becoming a distant memory now that we’ve moved past our final pandemic rescheduled shows and all areas of the business…
In the wake of the success of Brighten The Corners Festival 2023, which featured The Go! Team, 86TVs, Picture Parlour, Coops and loads more, Ipswich’s leading multi-venue music festival and a formidable event for emerging has announced the first round of artists set to play in 2024. The initial line-up includes British tuba player and composer Theon Cross, the infectious Isle of Wight indie rockers Coach Party, Mercury Prize nominee and Grace Jones collaborator Dave Okumu with full band The 7 Generations, experimental indie trio The Orielles, alt country inspired four piece Divorce, genre bending Irish collective Bricknasty, NME’s ‘essential…
The first wave of sessions for the AIF produced Festival Congress 2024 have been announced, alongside more key sponsors for the event. Taking place at Bristol’s Beacon on February 1st 2024, Festival Congress unites, empowers and supports independent festivals. The day will be made up with a packed schedule of workshops, roundtables and Lightning Talks, covering a range of topics relevant to independent festival promoters, including marketing, commercial operations, fundraising and revenue generation, along with best practice in equality, diversity, inclusion, climate action, creativity and safer spaces. Next year’s event’s headline sponsor is TicketSellers. PRS for Music, TheWRD and ID&C…
EXIT Festival has just unveiled the first 24 acts for its upcoming edition, EXIT Starseed! The lineup is headlined by pop-rap icons and one of the most successful music groups of all time, the Black Eyed Peas, along with one of the world’s most innovative guitarists and a driving force behind Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello, and the global trap trailblazer, Gucci Mane! Legendary mts Dance Arena will feature the most popular DJ of all time, Carl Cox, often seen as the symbol of the profession itself. He will be joined by Bonobo, Berlin’s DJ star and producer KlangKuenstler,…