The application process for the UK Festival Awards 2019 has now opened. The Awards will return to the Troxy in London on December 5th for a third consecutive year and promises to end the year with a big celebration. The prestigious annual ceremony boasts 20 award categories that lend kudos to teams and individuals across all areas of this industry for their excellent work throughout 2019. The Awards will be presented by rapper, comedian and industry resident Doc Brown and will be followed by an in-house afterparty with music from northern DJ duo, Howling Rhythm. Attended by some of the…
Author: Festival Insights
Professor Duncan Wheeler holds the Chair of Spanish Studies at the University of Leeds, where he also co-convenes the European Centre for European Popular Music(s). In 2016, he was inducted into the Spanish Academy of Stage Arts in recognition of his teaching of and research into Spanish theatre. A published translator of plays and novels, he is currently preparing a dual-language edition titled “Spanish Songs of the Transition” for use in secondary schools. His latest book, “The Cultural Politics of Spain’s Transition to Democracy”, is forthcoming with Manchester University Press. In addition to his academic publications, Duncan regularly writes pieces for…
UK: Festicket is teaming up with Coachella as the Californian festival’s exclusive UK & European ticket partner. Alongside promoting a wide range of ticket options, Festicket will provide extra local booking services and support across eight languages and a multitude of currencies. Coachella tickets went on advance sale on June 14, with Festicket packages already sold to fans in 49 different countries worldwide. The company is working closely with Coachella to continue to offer accommodation for ticketholders. Zack Sabban, CEO & co-founder at Festicket, originally founded the company back in 2012 when he wanted to organise a trip to Coachella…
UK: The forthcoming edition of Nozstock: The Hidden Valley – set to take place from July 18 – 21 – will for the first time have a Craft Area dedicated to sustainability. Replete with eco-friendly activities, this new addition to the renowned family festival will also welcome civil disobedients Extinction Rebellion to lead daily workshops on nonviolent direct action. Nozstock’s Craft Area will include: Workshops and demonstrations Stitch and Bitch – learning to upcycle clothes, crochet or knit with Jessie and Jess Repair a Sharper Future – traditional tinkering, fixing and sharpening The Slippery Slope Stage, powered by the sun…
UK: ArcTanGent has partnered with Roland Europe Group and Boss to bring a shipping container demo studio to the festival this summer. The 20ft shipping container – outfitted with a viewing platform roof, stretch tent and seating – will host Breakfast Sessions with Toska, CLT DRP, a-tota-so, Aiming for Enrike, Midas Fall, and Wild Cat Strike between 9am and 11am on Friday and Saturday morning. The bands will demo their use of Boss pedals, explaining to the audience their set up and how they achieve the sounds that they do. During the day, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to try…
CGA has conducted research into festivalgoers’ drug consumption habits and attitudes towards harm reduction initiatives, such as those run by The Loop. The findings come from two separate surveys undertaken by the business intelligence consultancy in 2018: a bespoke piece for The Loop in May, and the UK Festival Census in October. Both of the online questionnaires were completed by panels of UK Festival Awards voters, with the former receiving 1098 responses and the latter garnering 6673. The majority of those within the samples were middle-aged, white, and in full-time employment, with a nearly equal split between class distinctions and…
UK: The Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS) is calling on the events industry to get involved in 8th Plate, an initiative that salvages festival food waste from events and transforms it into meals for vulnerable members of society. Every day, one in eight people in the world go hungry. 8th Plate strives to feed that eighth person by working with event organisers to tackle the 400 tonnes of food that ends up in landfill each year in the UK from festivals, described by NCASS as a ‘sad statistic, given that 4.1 million children are currently living in poverty in Britain’. This…
UK: Since its launch on June 11, Festival Vision:2025’s crowdfunder has reached 100% of its initial £25k target, having received support from Festival Republic, Nordic Wristbands and a number of other UK companies and festivals. With 14 days remaining, the campaign has extended its goal to £35k in order to fund a ‘knowledge hub’ website and various resources to aid festivals in improving their ecological credentials. Following the crowdfunder, Festival Vision: 2025 will launch an updated Show Must Go On report to provide guidance and inspiration to event professionals supporting the UK festival industry in reducing CO2 emissions by 50%…
*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. Damon Culbert works for The Juice Guru, a UK based mobile juice vendor. The Juice Guru is dedicated to sustainability and all of its products are compostable and recyclable. In every facet of our lives, going green is becoming more vital than ever. Driven by the UN Secretary’s words at the end of 2018 (‘humanity and life on Earth now face a direct existential threat’), Extinction Rebellion is a group which has…
Insights attended the 19th edition of Primavera Sound in Barcelona from May 30 – June 1, where a record 220,000 fans descended on the Parc del Fòrum to see performances from Solange, Erykah Badu, Tame Impala, and 292 others. Notably, Primavera is one of very few festivals to race ahead of the PRS Keychange Initiative’s 2022 pledge to achieve gender parity across festival line-ups – well, almost. According to Joan Pons, the festival’s Press Director, the ratio was actually 51/49. Fellow Europhilic Brits will sympathise with this kind of defeat by marginal majority, but Pons acknowledges that while 1:1 equity…