NETHERLANDS: Eurosonic Noorderslag has announced that its annual ‘focus country’ for 2020 will be Switzerland, in cooperation with Swiss Music Export. Jean Zuber, of Swiss Music Export, said: “The Swiss music scene is thrilled to be the focus of ESNS 2020. For many years, Swiss acts have showcased in Groningen and quite a number of them started their international careers through ESNS and the ETEP programme. “Switzerland is not only home of a very active and creative artistic scene, it has the highest festival density in the world and a vivid independent record industry. Swiss Music Export will join forces…
Author: Festival Insights
UK: Black Deer Festival has joined forces with Nicolas Winding Refn – the director responsible for Bronson, Drive, and The Neon Demon – to bring a unique cinematic experience to the festival this summer, the ‘byNWR Expressway’. In this exclusive UK festival partnership, byNWR is set to show a specially curated trilogy of obscure films for first time in this new form. Forty Acre Feud, Wild Guitar and Cottonpickin’ Chickenpickers all hark back to a time of the American drive-in cinema at its peak, and have been meticulously restored to serve as a visual reimagining of early Americana, alongside the…
UK: Powerful Thinking’s fourth annual Industry Green Survey shows that more event organisers are embedding sustainability into their operations and getting savvy with waste and energy in 2018. 70 events took part in the fourth annual Festival Industry Green Survey for 2018, run by industry steering group Powerful Thinking. The survey asked festivals organisers what sustainability measures they put in place last year in key areas such as waste, travel, and energy, as well as barriers to implementing initiatives and plans for next season. The results show that more organisers are committing resources to their sustainability initiatives. Events are becoming…
UK: From March 16 – 17 in Bristol, the climate action collective Extinction Rebellion will put on its first ever festival of activism and music – dubbed ‘Spring Uprising’ – at which up to 1,000 people at a time will be trained in peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience. Bringing together an unprecedented gathering of people from different backgrounds for nonviolent direct action workshops, music and art, the festival – to be held in Bristol’s Motion venue – is a precursor to what is expected to be one of the largest nonviolent civil disobedience acts in decades: the group’s ‘International Rebellion’ initiative,…
UK: Standon Calling has enlisted Weezevent as the cashless provider for its upcoming edition, set to take place from July 25 – 28 in Hertfordshire. The 15,000-capacity festival will be headlined by Rag’n’Bone Man, Wolf Alice, and Nile Rogers & Chic. Festival Director, Alex Trenchard, commented: “We are very much looking forward to continuing our cashless journey with Weezevent. We’ve been impressed with their technology, and as a festival with a significant family presence, Weezevent’s ability to operate multiple wristbands off one email address and bank account offers significant customer service benefits. Over the last two years, we have also…
*An abridged version of this article first appeared in Issue 82 of IQ Magazine. Teresa Moore is a Director of A Greener Festival. She has been researching the problem of tent waste at festivals for a number of years, having carried out the first pan-European survey on the issue in 2012 for A Greener Festival and Go Group. For the last four years she has conducted research on the campsites at the Isle of Wight Festival, amongst others, and in 2018 advised Greenpeace on setting up the Eco-Camp at Download Festival as part of ongoing research for her PhD in…
UK: Latitude Festival has teamed up with Will Hardie, the master craftsman behind Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and Shed of the Year, plus the creative minds behind Electric Picnic festival’s Trailer Park, to launch an art caravan competition. Grants of up to £2000 will be available for creators to invent, design, build and host their own caravan or mobile structure at this year’s Latitude. The best ideas will be developed for a new ‘mobiletropolis’ set within the festival. A judging panel led by designer, maker, artist and craftsman, Will Hardie, will read proposals. Joining Roz and Hugo Jellett, the creative…
UK: AVA Festival has revealed additional names for its free conference programme at London’s Printworks venue on March 15. The conference will offer insights into the music & arts industry from artists, agents, labels and innovators. Bicep, Octave One, Abbey Road Studios, London’s Night Czar Amy Lamé, Resident Advisor, Ninja Tune, Artwork and more will appear in the line-up of panels, workshops and keynotes, alongside some of the industries’ most notable names and brands. Split between a free daytime conference at The Printworks and a ticketed club show with Mall Grab, Hunee, Joy Orbison, and more – 2019’s edition promises…
UK: Event guide and ticketing outlet, Skiddle, has experienced its most successful year to date, reporting a 30% increase in turnover, gross ticket sales of £60 million, and a record-breaking 3.5 million tickets sold – a 22.5% increase on 2017. The organisation will be celebrating its 18th birthday in May 2019, having consistently and organically grown year-on-year without outside investment. Skiddle has also provided more opportunities for employment than ever before. As well as bases in Lancashire and Liverpool, new premises in Manchester and London were also launched in the past 12 months. Other notable achievements from 2018 include the…
UK: The celebrated Malian musician Rokia Traoré has revealed the full programme for Brighton Festival 2019 – the largest annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. This year promises to be an especially wide-ranging and cosmopolitan edition, encouraging audiences to meet, listen and pass on their experiences. Featuring over 130 events with artists and performers from more than 20 countries, Brighton Festival 2019 is a space for contemporary expression from around the world. The importance of respect for all cultures and for nurturing the next generation of artists is at the heart and soul of this year’s programme. The festival will…