UK: Ahead of its maiden voyage into the EU this June, the music and arts cruise Shipsomnia has announced details of its official launch party, which will take place on May 31 at the Earth Hall of London’s Natural History Museum. Inviting an intimate selection of guests, brand ambassadors and influencers to experience ‘The Kraken’s Den – The Untold Story’, Shipsomnia’s launch party will seek to raise money for Save The Children; recognising that The Mediterranean Sea has become an unmarked grave for children fleeing war in recent years. With the help of DJ performances from Doorly, Prok & Fitch,…
Author: Festival Insights
Shaun Barnett is the owner and Managing Director of Quantum Special Effects, one of the UK’s leading special effects companies. With over 60 years combined experience, Shaun and his team design, build and supply bespoke special effects for the entertainment industry with clients such as Adele, Katy Perry, Take That and Muse. Having just won the award for ‘Best Visual Spectacular’ at the Festival Supplier Awards for the second year running, Barnett explains the value of Special Effects and how to make the most of them. Special Effects are all about bringing that extra wow factor to the audience experience.…
SPAIN: Sónar Barcelona has completed its music programme with the inclusion of a six-hour set from historic duo Masters At Work. This DJ set further consolidates the renewed Sónar by Night philosophy to provide a space for prolonged sets that explore the history of dance music and electronica. Derrick Carter, another classic American house music artist, also joins the line–up for Sónar by Night. SonarXS – the new stage at Sónar by Day that promotes more experimental sounds – has also completed its bill with a diverse range of artists including Yves Tumor, Sturla Atlas, Kablam, Toxe, and Juan Ingaramo.…
With a penchant for the theatrical and a site enclosed within dense woodland, Lost Village has fashioned itself as a remote enclave with a depth of immersion and breadth of experiences that amount to a unique proposition for festival-goers. Having sold out for its first couple of years, its third edition – set to take place from August 24 – 27 – promises to expand the territory of its programming whilst maintaining the same auspicious blend of music, comedy, wellness, food & drink, educational content, and imaginative design. Insights spoke with Jay Jameson, Director of Lost Village, about its production…
MALTA: Just days after celebrating a third edition which featured a castle party at a world heritage site, boat parties, surprise sets and a huge selection of artists that spanned grime, house, techno and drum n bass, Annie Mac’s Lost & Found has now revealed its 2018 festival dates. Set to return to the Mediterranean island of Malta for its fourth consecutive year, Lost & Found will now take place across the May Day Bank holiday between May 3 – 6 2018 – a slightly later date that ‘signals even more sunshine and promises to officially kickstart the summer season’.…
WORLDWIDE: Sónar Hong Kong successfully held its first festival on April 1, with 5,000 people in attendance. Spread across six stages at the Hong Kong Science Park, the festival offered more than 30 live shows and outdoor DJ sets, indoor performances and immersive audiovisual shows. Sónar Hong Kong’s musical programme included live concerts and DJ sets ranging from dance music to experimental electronica. A combination of established artists such as DJ Shadow, Gilles Peterson and Dave Clarke, as well as emerging talent like Lady Leshurr, Kingdom and Evian Christ, performed alongside Chinese artists including Fragrant Harbor & Ouissam, Ocean Lam…
UK: AVA Conference – set to take place on June 2 as part of AVA Festival – has revealed the first phase of its free 2017 programme, with performances, talks, masterclasses, workshops, panels and more from the likes of Native Instruments, Leftfield’s Neil Barnes, Jeff Mills, Renaat Vandepapeliere (founder of R&S Records), Resident Advisor, Moxie, New Jackson, and more. Expanding on previous years, the Conference will see a range of activities from artists, thinkers and professionals. Kicking off the bill is techno pioneer Jeff Mills, where AVA will dig deep to understand his work with lighting designer Guillaume Marmin. Joining…
WORLDWIDE: This month’s Music Cities Conference in Berlin saw the launch of The Creative Footprint – a collaborative, non-profit initiative that aims to measure and index urban creative spaces in the world’s cultural capitals, whilst advocating for artistic and cultural communities on the civic level internationally. Spearheaded by Lutz Leichsenring of the Berlin Clubcommission, utilising extensive research by Musicboard Berlin and Harvard University, and in partnership with Red Bull and Black Circle Media, The Creative Footprint is a collaborative endeavour whose work will study, engage with, and ultimately award a score to 10 international cities based on their hospitality towards…
UK: At the forefront of the UK and European festival PR market, Full Fat has been appointed to deliver campaigns for Field Day, Mighty Hoopla and GALA festivals, plus this summer’s season of Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing Ibiza. Also underway are campaigns for retained festival and event clients, Wychwood Festival, Also, Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF), Hideout, Fresh Island, Electric Castle and Way Out West. The addition of these brands to the Full Fat roster further highlights the agency’s position at the forefront of the festival PR world. Full Fat has delivered attention-grabbing communication strategies for the likes of Hideout, Fresh…
Black Circle Media is an LA-based creative agency founded by British journalists Ross Gardiner and Jemayel Khawaja. Their clients include Electric Zoo, Oasis Festival, We Are FSTVL, Looptopia, and Red Bull, and their writing has appeared in the Guardian, Mixmag, Vice, Billboard and LA Weekly. For more info on Black Circle Media, get in touch. Developing a strong identity is a prerequisite to long-term success for a festival. Not only does a strong brand identity drive ticket sales, it affords you an upper hand in everything from sponsorships to artist fees to relations with local government. With a successfully developed…