UK: According to new research on festivals from out-of-home food and drink research company CGA, the UK’s summer music events make up a valuable part of the new ‘third space’ for drinks companies, with over £100m spent on alcohol at festivals each year. The exclusive CGA research reveals that some 7.4 million people have visited one of the top UK festivals over the past three years, with 33% – 15 million – considering a future visit. Total consumer spending at festivals is fast approaching £200m per year, with each festivalgoer spending £32.27 a day on alcohol at the event and…
Author: Festival Insights
*This article is part of Insider Insights’ Sustainable Summer series, in which we dedicate half of our monthly output to guidance on decreasing the environmental impact of festivals. Nick Chambers is the co-founder and booker of Beat-Herder, a beloved handcrafted mainstay of the British festival calendar. The event’s next edition will be held from July 12 – 14. In the 14 years that Beat-Herder has been running, we have witnessed a sea change, as it were, in attitudes towards the environment. Just by reading recent headlines about Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thurnberg in the mainstream media over the past couple…
SPAIN: Primavera Sound has joined 193 countries of the United Nations to adopt 17 objectives designed to work towards gender equality, eradicating poverty, ensuring prosperity for all, and protecting the planet. The commitment is emblematic of the festival’s socially responsible ethos, and will manifest itself across a number of concrete actions at its forthcoming edition from May 30 – June 1. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for governments, the private sector and civil society to cooperate so that each of its specific goals can be achieved in the coming years. Primavera’s alliance with…
UK: Bournemouth’s arts and culture festival, Arts by the Sea, has announced two key partnerships for its ninth instalment. The mental health charity Dorset Mind and Bournemouth University will feature at the newly announced ‘Mind Matter Hub’, an area set up in Bournemouth town centre to get visitors exploring subjects around mental health and wellbeing through a variety of workshops, talks and installations. Having recently expanded to three days across a single weekend, Arts by the Sea will run from September 27 – 29 across various spaces in Bournemouth. This latest news follows the recent reveal of the festival’s ‘Mind…
USA: The Cure will headline and curate Goldenvoice’s new Pasadena Daydream Festival, set to take place at the Rose Bowl on August 31 and featuring performances by Pixies, Deftones, Mogwai, Throwing Muses, The Joy Formidable, Chelsea Wolfe, The Twilight Sad, Emma Ruth Rundle and Kælan Mikla. Following their 40th anniversary appearance at BST Hyde Park, London in 2018, The Cure have invited a selection of their favourite artists for another summer headline event, this time set against the West Coast backdrop of Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. In Robert Smith’s own words: “Hyde Park was a fabulous experience, the whole day was…
USA: Meyer Sound returned to Durham, North Carolina from April 25 – 28 for its second year as the Official Sound Partner of Moogfest, the festival that brings together the most visionary and creative minds in music, art, and technology. This year’s expanded presence included providing multichannel systems for concerts, workshops, and technology demos across the festival’s performance spaces, including the Durham Armory, the 21c Museum Hotel, and Fletcher Hall at The Carolina Theatre, as well as two installations at the Durham Fruit and Produce Company. Many of the events in these venues showcased Meyer Sound’s Spacemap, which provides spatial…
Natasha Manley is the Head of Music at Selina International Music Summit, a music industry conference staged across various developing territories. SIMS Medellín will take place from May 16 – 18, followed by SIMS Mexico City from May 23 – 25. My first experience of a music festival was the legendary Reggae Sunsplash Jamaica, in the late 80s. I can still see the smoke from the jerk chicken mingling with the dry ice from the stage. Reggae Sunsplash has hosted everyone from Bob Marley and The Wailers to Black Uhuru, Third World, Steel Pulse, and Yellowman over the years, all…
UK: Environmental activists Extinction Rebellion will participate in a unique collaboration with Kendal Calling this July, curating an area at the festival that focuses on raising awareness around climate change, species extinction, and engaging in peaceful civil disobedience. From in-depth talks, workshops and film screenings to screen printing and yoga sessions, attendees can expect insight, inspiration and entertainment from the area. Spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, Oli Nichols, said: “We’re very happy that we had such a good turn out from our supporters in London and beyond, and connected with new rebels who created a wonderful friendly atmosphere. To take our…
UK: BBC Music Introducing Live will return to London’s Tobacco Dock from October 31 – November 2. Following three days of talks, panels, performances and masterclasses last year, the event once again hopes to be the definitive event for those considering a career in the music industry. The forthcoming edition promises to host a rich and varied programme comprising panels, talks, ‘in conversation’ chats, debates, careers advice and more from leading names in the world of music. BBC DJs and producers, as well as artists and top names from brands, record labels and streaming services will gather to offer careers…
UK: ID&C, the provider of security wristbands for festivals and live events, has announced Timber Festival as the winner of its 2019 Grass Roots Festival Bursary and recipient of the £2500 grant. The Timber Festival is a joint venture between the National Forest Company and Wild Rumpus, who have come together to create an international festival exploring the transformative impact of forests. The ID&C Grass Roots Festival Bursary was launched in 2011 and is open to any UK independent festival that has operated for five years or less and has an overall attendance of up to 15,000 people. The bursary…