Festival Volunteer put together their top festival tips for you. Let this be your essential guide to enjoying festivals this summer! If you’d like to Volunteer at a festival then make sure you’ve hit “Like” on the Festival Volunteer Facebook Page and they’ll let you know when registration opens in April. Let us know what you think of these tips and leave your own in a comment! 

•  Stop videoing.. starting dancing! YouTube doesn’t need another poor quality video of Florence + The Machine playing on some indecipherable stage two miles away. Take in the moment with your eyes, enjoy the Festival!

•  Bring a pen & paper. Phone batteries don’t last forever, lost your friend? Leave a note in their tent. What was the name of that band you saw? Oh.. write it down!

• Don’t like a main stage act? Don’t sit there and moan about it. There’s nothing more satisfying that seeing a live band before everyone jumps on the bandwagon.. so go and check out some of the smaller stages and you just might enjoy it!

• Pack some bin bags – They’re great for tent repairs, emergency waterproof, seating to keep you dry and collecting trash. You’ll be grateful for it!

• Take a disposable camera. Your iPhone battery has died.. no more retro Hipstamatic or Instagram prints. Do you want to carry a heavy, digital SLR around your neck for the whole festival? If you put it down somewhere, you risk never seeing it again. Get the real vintage Festival photos with a couple of disposable film cameras.

• Talk to people. Between bands you’ll find yourself in the company of those with similar musical preferences, waiting to see the same band you are. Chances are, they’ll know about other bands you might want to see, and you them. Talk to your neighbour. Your weekend will be better because of it.

• Take a moment to reflect. Grab a beer, find a quiet spot and sit down, take in the atmosphere; you’ve just seen the most amazing performance of your festival life. Don’t burn out at a festival, make sure you remember it!

Source.

WORLD CLASS TRACK CYCLING AND DIVING TO BE STAGED AS £21 MILLION LOTTERY EVENTS PROGRAMME DELIVERS 118 ‘TEST EVENTS’

International Olympic Committee (IOC) say: “The positive result of UK Sport’s plans is now an example other host countries of the Games will be able to follow.”

National Lottery funding has allowed 118 major sporting events to be staged in the UK in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

41 out of 46 of Britain’s summer Olympic and Paralympic sports will have staged at least one major World or European level competition on home soil in the six years preceding the 2012 Games 

 Between 2007 and 2012, UK Sport’s Lottery funded events programme will have hosted over 30,000 of the world’s best athletes, provided experience for more than 27,000 officials and volunteers and brought world-class Olympic and Paralympic competition to 35 different towns and cities and 3.5 million spectators across the UK

 Estimated that over £100 million of direct economic impact will have been generated for the cities and regions hosting these events, with £4.90 generated for each £1 of National Lottery funding invested (£21 million)

UK Sport, the nation’s high performance sports agency, has been praised by the International Olympic Committee for its comprehensive programme of major events staged over the past six years in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the final batch of official London 2012 test events get underway.

UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme, backed by £3.5 million per year of National Lottery funding (set to increase to £5 million post-2012), expanded in 2007 following London’s successful bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games to help ensure the UK’s athletes, officials and volunteers would be best prepared come 2012.

Over 100 major international events will have been brought to the UK as part of this 2007-2012 programme, to help British athletes prepare for competing at a home Games, and build expertise so that the UK can continue to host the biggest events in world sport long after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is over.

UK Sport has worked in partnership with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to ensure that a number of the major international events on this programme will be staged in Olympic venues, providing LOCOG with the opportunity to test certain aspects of those events ahead of London 2012.

In 2011, UK Sport supported five major international events in Olympic and Paralympic host venues; the World Badminton Championships (Wembley), World Junior Rowing Championships (Eton Dorney), World Triathlon Championships Series (Hyde Park), BMX Supercross World Cup (Olympic Park) and the Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final (Greenwich Park).

In 2012, as this six year programme reaches its conclusion, UK Sport will be supporting a further two major events taking place in Olympic Park venues; the Track Cycling World Cup (Olympic Park) which starts on Thursday (16 February) and the Diving World Cup (Olympic Park) from 20-26 February. 

Gilbert Felli, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, said: “Through their effort to proactively benefit from the London 2012 Games in the long term, UK Sport’s initiative is the proof that legacies of the Olympic Games do not simply happen by themselves. They require careful planning and a permanent focus. The positive result of UK Sport’s plans is now an example other host countries of the Games will be able to follow.”

Liz Nicholl, Chief Executive of UK Sport, said: “We believe we have set a blueprint for how a host nation can prepare for a home Olympic and Paralympic Games, and are very proud that this has been recognised by the IOC.

“The last few events to be staged ahead of the Games, such as the upcoming Track Cycling World Cup and Diving World Cup, offer further opportunities for the British public to help give our athletes, volunteers and officials the best possible final preparation for their home Games in 2012.

“Our focus now is on continuing this momentum into the next Olympic cycle, by staging an even more ambitious programme of events. We have made a great start, having already secured five World Championships for the 2013-19 period, including the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the sport’s most prestigious event.”

Aside from the performance benefits for British athletes and the boost to the UK’s capacity to attract major sporting events, it is estimated that for every £1 of National Lottery funding invested into these events, an average of £4.90 of additional direct economic impact is generated for the host city and region. The full events programme from 2007-2012 is therefore estimated to have generated in the region of £105 million of direct economic benefit to host cities and regions across the UK.

UK Sport has completed detailed planning for the UK’s programme of major international sporting events from 2013-2019. This programme will receive a Lottery budget of £5 million per year and will seek to use the catalysts of London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 to establish the UK as the world’s leading host of major international sporting events.

Additional facts and figures

• The total National Lottery investment by UK Sport into this programme over the six years is approximately £21million. Additional funding to stage these events from partners and commercial revenue is around £52 million.

• Nine events still to take place in the UK ahead of the Games as part of this programme:

UCI Track Cycling World Cup 2012, London; 16- 19 February

FINA Diving World Cup 2012, London; 20 – 26 February

Handball London Cup 2012, London; 5-7 April

European Taekwondo Championships 2012, Manchester; 3-6 May

UCI BMX World Championships 2012, Birmingham; 24-27 May

ISAF World Cup Sailing 2012, Weymouth; 4-9 June

ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 2012, Cardiff; 8-10 June

European 470 Sailing Championships, Largs; 1-8 July

Disability Athletics Grand Prix 2012, London (Target)

A full list of the 2007 – 2012 World Class Events Programme, can be downloaded here:

http://www.uksport.gov.uk/publications/2007-2012-world-class-events-programme

New Order have been named as the Saturday night headliner for Bestival.

The iconic Manchester band reformed last August and are most famous for their classic song Blue Monday.

Other acts also confirmed for Saturday include Friendly Fires, electro rockers Death in Vegas and art-pop quartet Django Django

The festival takes place at the Isle of Wight’s Robin Hill Country Park between 6-9 September, and this year will have a wildlife fancy dress theme.

Previously announced for Bestival are The xx, Sigur Ros, Two Door Cinema Club, Orbital, Emeli Sande, Azealia Banks and Michael Kiwanuka.

A new performance area will also be in place – the Amphitheatre will be “nestled under a canopy of trees” and feature music, comedy, theatre and poetry.

Bestival was first held in 2004 and is organised by Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank.

Its fancy dress theme encourages fans to dress up and recent years have seen themes like fantasy, space, and rock stars, pop stars and divas.

Will this be the biggest single event of the summer? If England don’t make the Euro finals? Judge for yourself…

Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Brit-nominated Ed Sheeran will play at The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert on 4 June.

The event, which is a joint venture between the BBC and Gary Barlow, will take place near The Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.

Take That star Barlow said the gig will “transcend multiple decades of music”.

A national ballot, which can be applied for online, will distribute free tickets to 10,000 people.

Members of the public can also apply by post anytime between 7 February and 2 March.

Gary Barlow: “I want the whole world to be on that stage”

Tickets are being allocated randomly and not on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ticket holders will also be able to attend a special Jubilee picnic, which will take place in the Buckingham Palace Garden.

‘Magnificent concert’

JLS, Alfie Boe, Jools Holland, Jessie J, Tom Jones, Lang Lang, Annie Lennox, Madness and Cliff Richard have also been announced as part of the line-up with more names to be released nearer the time.

“The Diamond Jubilee concert will celebrate the 60 years of The Queen’s reign with an amazing line-up of world-class artists coming together to play at one of the biggest and most exciting live music shows in recent years,” Barlow said.

An artist’s impression of the stage, designed by architect Mark Fisher

The concert will include classic hits and one-off collaborations and the stage will be designed by world-renowned architect Mark Fisher, who has worked for U2, Robbie Williams and The Rolling Stones.

The concert will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC One HD and on BBC Radio 2 in the UK and to millions around the world.

US viewers will be able to watch highlights on ABC the following day.

BBC One controller Danny Cohen said: “BBC One is honoured to be the broadcast host of this magnificent concert to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

“This will be a musical event like no other, with Britain’s greatest musical stars performing to celebrate this great occasion.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16925230

2012, will of course be remembered in Britain as the year the Olympics came, but although The Big Chill has been cancelled as well as Glastonbury, due to the clash with the Olympics, this has nothing to do with an issue of lack of port-a-loos to share between. However, let’s not let ourselves forget about the one thing the summer is always good for; music festivals. For music lovers looking to broaden their horizons from the normal sell out festivals, such as Reading, Leeds, Download, Isle of Wight, Bestival, Sonisphere, Creamfields, Global Gathering, Lattitude and V Festival; this blog will look into some new festivals to look out for in 2012.

Parklife is a 2 day music festival held in Manchester Platt Fields Park on June 9^th & 10^th and is going into its 3^rd year as a 2 day weekend event after starting as a one day event in 2010, keeping at an affordable price of £64.50 for a weekend ticket. The festival is run by a collaborative of Manchester based promoters from the wharehouse project, mad ferret, metropolis, ape and the deaf institute. The festival has grown rapidly, after creating such a friendly and buzzing atmosphere in the first 2 years, pulling in a large young audience, featuring lots of students celebrating the end of term. This year they are playing host to a wide range of music, from exiting bands and artists to some of the biggest DJs and dance acts to create a diverse mix of music to cater for the fun loving crowds they are becoming known for.

This years line up consists of The Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal, Nero, Noah And The Whale, Justice, Crystal Castles, Labrinth, Chic ft Nile Rogers, Aelea Banks, Kelis, De La Soul, Fresh, Buraka Som Sistema, The rapture, Spector; plus DJ sets from Pendulum, Zane Lowe, Annie Mac, Sub Focus, High Contrast, Caspa, Simian Mobile Disco and much more.  The festival is non-camping, so punters will need somewhere to stay overnight if they are travelling a long distance for the festival. 

Hide out is a great festival for fans of electronic music, which will be going into its second year this summer after its successful first run last year, taking place the weekend of the 29^th June and the 1^st July. The 3 day festival is located in the beautiful sunny Croatia, set on the beach meaning it packs all the thrills of a holiday and a festival into one. After making such an impressive impact on the festivals debut, they have managed to confirm a very strong line up for 2012, with names on the bill that are huge in the world of electronic music, some legends and some of the biggest acts at the moment; artists and DJs on the bill, to name a few, include one of dub steps most famous duos – Skream and Benga, drum and bass veterans Andy C and Shy FX, Chase and Status, High Contrast, Annie Mac, Sub Focus, Skrillex, Simian Mobile Disco, SBTRK, Erol Alkan, Jack Beats and many more top acts.

The festival is set at £99 a ticket. Festival goers have the option to either book a hotel (starting at £17.05 pp/pn for 2 stars up to £28.25 pp/pn) and as of this summer, there will also be the option to camp. Going to a festival abroad is also a great opportunity for a stop of for those who are planning to do some travelling over the summer.

Nova Is a brand new festival for the summer of 2012, created by 2 of the founders of The Big Chill, taking place from the 5 to the6^th of July in Bignor Park West Sussex. The festival states that it sets out to be independent and intimate in its first year, focusing on big ideas along with all the small details. The line up has yet to be fully released but is one to look out for in the future, based on the success the promoters have had running The Big Chill in previous years. They are planning on offering a wide range of break through artists, as well as more familiar and well known acts to create a mix where people will be able to see some artists they already know, plus discovering new artists in the most fun way of doing so, by seeing them perform live at a festival. It also promises other exiting things as well as the music, to make it a unique festival, as they ‘focus on big ideas and small details’ bringing in ideas such as strange night walks, hot tubs, flash mobs and their own pub to fully integrate and engage the punters with the festival allowing them to have a lot of fun discovering new music as well as taking part in original activities, which they wouldn’t usually expect from a festival.

So far they have confirmed artists such as Ghost Poet, Norman Jay, Crazy P, Jono McCleery and Good Times Soundsytem.

The London 2012 Olympics are quickly approaching, but will the Games be the golden egg or “damp squib for” U.K. businesses?

On one side, the culture secretary sees them as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the UK.” So far, almost 40,000 jobs have been created as a direct result of the Olympics and Stratford City has been reinvented with vast new construction projects, including the largest shopping centre in Europe.

On the other side, renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber fears they will bring a “bloodbath” for London theatre, world-famous music festivals, including The Big Chill, have been cancelled, and even VisitBritain doubts we’ll see any real influx of foreign visitors.

So, where does the truth lie? It probably depends what business you’re in and if you’re betting on making a buck this summer or hoping to dig your way out of the recession for good.

Big business sees boom
New businesses on the Olympic doorstep are likely to boom. The Westfield supermall in Stratford drew in 160,000 customers the first day it opened and is expected to be teaming with locals and tourists all summer.

The British economy has been bolstered by all the activity around the Olympic Village since the bid was accepted in 2005 and companies closely tied to the official venues should fare very well.

However, the majority of Olympic projects –construction of sporting venues, food and drink sales, security etc. – have gone to large firms. Meanwhile, Westfield is teaming with multinational stores. From Apple to Armani and Pandora to Primark, shoppers have a full spectrum of mega chains to choose from. But, small, independent retailers say they’ve suffered the consequences.

This January, the Essex Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) labeled the long-term benefits of the Games a “damp squib” for small companies.

“The immediate effect of the Olympic area where Westfield has been developed has been bad. Local businesses have really suffered because of the shopping mall along with the recession,” South Woodford Business Partnership chairman Kerk Davies told The Guardian.

More than 60 percent of small businesses in the area believe the Games legacy will not help them at all, according to a survey conducted by the FSB. In fact, 25 percent of the 1,674 companies interviewed predicted that the Olympics would have a negative effect.

A separate survey conducted by Olympic sponsor BT of 1,200 companies around the UK found that 72 percent expected their supply chain to be disrupted and 40 percent thought staffing would be a headache because staff would want time off.

‘Displacement’
VisitBritain, which has received an extra 27 million in funding to drive up tourist numbers, has admitted that the Olympics will put some people off visiting London.

“For some people, a busy and vibrant environment with a global spotlight on it is not where they want to go on holiday, which is fair enough,” a spokesman told The Guardian. “It’s displacement – people who would usually come here go somewhere else.”

While the usual theatre-loving, Tower-of-London-touring visitors may be fewer in number this summer, Stratford is sure to be packed.

Gearing up to serve the 9.7 million spectators, 200,000 workers, and 140,000 athletes and officials expected in the Olympic Park, McDonald’s is building its largest restaurant ever.

However, as the mega McDonald’s heaves with hungry visitors, restaurants outside Stratford may see fewer diners.

“Many of the visitors will be eating in the Games area so restaurants in the West End may suffer,” a spokesman for the British Hospitality Association told the paper.

“And if Britons stay at home to watch the Games on TV – rather than going out to eat as they might normally do – that will impact on restaurants far beyond London,” said spokesman Miles Quest.

Festivals canceled, moved
The festival industry is still gauging the effect the Olympics will have on the upcoming season.

Glastonbury moved its rest year from 2011 to 2012 to avoid a clash with the Games.

HSome festivals that usually take place at the start of August, including Herefordshire’s The Big Chill and Ireland’s Oxegen, have been canceled.
Organisers of The Big Chill said the Olympics had negatively impacted “artist availability.”

owever, the festival had suffered its own problems in the past. Festival Republic took over the event three years ago when it went into voluntary liquidation with debts amounting to 1.2 million. Last year, it was headlined by The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, and Rodrigo y Gabriela, but it failed to sell out.

Successful festivals, like Victoria Park’s Field Day and Brighton’s Shakedown, have changed their dates but will otherwise go ahead as usual.

‘Bloodbath’ for the West End?
“Nobody’s going to go to the theatre at all,” Lord Lloyd Webber told the BBC.

He feared “a bloodbath of a summer” for the West End, saying that “most of the theatres in London will shut”.

“It’s going to be very tough,” he told the broadcaster, adding that advance bookings were “about 10 percent” of their normal level.

He claimed that three major musicals “are not going to play over the Olympics.”

However, President of the Society of London Theatre Mark Rubinstein, gave a more nuanced assessment of the situation.

“There’s no question that there’s going to be a lot of visitors in London. I don’t think it’s going to be a bloodbath. I think we are going to see different audiences from the summer audience we would normally see in those weeks,” he told The Guardian.

Rubinstein said the key to success would be in getting those new audiences out of Stratford and into the West End.

“There will be an awful lot of visitors whose primary reason for coming is the Games and we need to work harder as an industry to reach out to those people, to run promotions, to run initiatives that will make sure they get the information about what shows are on and how to book,” he told the paper.

‘Wave of excitement’
Excitement for the Games is growing as venues are finished, but there is a north-south divide over how much Britain will benefit in the long run.

Just 22 percent of Scottish businesses believe the UK economy will benefit, compared to 53 percent in the South of England, including London. In the Midlands, just 36 percent believe the economy will be lifted, according to research by RSM Tenon and YouGov on behalf of The Daily Telegraph.

But, as big and small businesses across the country vie for a piece of the Olympic pie, there may be reasons for optimism regarding the long-term benefits of the Games.

Three-quarters of businesses in Vancouver, which hosted the 2010 Olympics, say they have continued to enjoy higher sales, according to the BT survey.

Sixty percent say they have experienced ongoing Olympic-related benefits. Most of the companies that did well were in the media, leisure, and retail industries.

The Government says it is also backing a new tourism fund aimed at generating £1 billion of public relations and marketing activity in the years around 2012, with the target of 1 million extra visitors a year and £2 billion additional spend for the UK as a whole.

“There is a lack of understanding of the economics behind the funding of London 2012. The budget is very closely monitored and people forget that the physical assets from the Games, such as stadiums and buildings, will generate revenue,” John Abbott, director of accountants at RSM Tenon told The Telegraph.

“Positive consumer sentiment is confidence based. More people are likely to be swept up in the wave of excitement surrounding the Games the nearer we get to July 2012.”

The use of  digital wristband technology has been discussed during a the second day of seminars at TheEvent Production Show.  In the first Access Session of the day, a panel of experts including suppliers and organisers addressed the impact that the technology could have on UK events.

RFID wristbands, that have the details of the wearer embedded within them through the use of a small chip, are set to become commonplace at UK festivals over the next few years following their success at major US events.  

The wristbands help to combat counterfeiting, can help organisers to monitor crowd flow and can also be used as a cashless payment method.

Using kiosks located around a festival site, customers can top up their wristband with credit and use it to pay for services within the event.

The panel pointed out that although the theory behind the system is undoubtedly applicable, it still has to work out as a cost-effective service solution.

Other issues such as the storage and destruction of customer information held within the operations system also have to be addressed in order to comply with data protection.

US festivals including Coachella have successfully integrated the technology within their events and trials in the UK have yielded positive results and responses.

Source: http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2012/02/digital-wristbands-to-feature-in-uk-festivals.html

Lord’s Cricket Ground has once again been named the UK’s number one Sporting Venue by BDRC Continental’s VenueVerdict.

The Home of Cricket – which has significantly increased non-match day revenues since opening its doors to corporate and private events – has been recognised for its exemplary customer service, and was found to have the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) of any eligible sporting venue in an extensive national list.

The BDRC Continental end-of-year assessment also determined that Lord’s achieved VenueVerdict Gold Standard Accreditation in 2011.

Lord’s has diversified from its key business sector of cricket with a growing commitment to the meetings and events market in recent years. To achieve world class customer service in line with the Ground’s reputation as a globally iconic sporting venue, specialist coordination teams, led by Senior Operations Manager James DeGroot, are in place to facilitate the execution and smooth running of events.

Lord’s event planners are trained on the premise that each event is tailored to the specific requirements of the individual. Each member of the Lord’s Meetings & Events Department is given a personalisedtraining programme, including a thorough induction process and customer service training.

Repeat corporate clients that will hold their events Lord’s for 2012 include Mint Event Management, Business in Sport and Leisure Limited and the International Wine Challenge.

Nick Kenton, Meetings & Events Sales Manager said: “We are delighted with this award as it is a testimony to the professionalism of all our departments involved in meeting & events, right through the booking process to the day itself. Having been recognised as the UK’s number one Sporting Venue, it is important that we continue to demonstrate our commitment to customer service through 2012 and beyond.”

Source: http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2012/01/lords-named-uks-number-1-sporting-venue.html

Source: http://www.eventindustrynews.co.uk/2012/01/how-has-the-recession-affected-festivals.html

How Has the Recession Affected Festivals

Since the financial and banking crisis started in 2008 most business sectors have seen huge levels of decline. Banks have nearly gone bust, the housing market has collapsed and you can’t even get Pick n Mix at Woolworths anymore. High Taxes, non-existent pay rises and record breaking inflation have meant that the majority of people now have far less expendable income than 5 years ago. However despite all of this more and more new festivals have appeared year upon year with millions of people attending. We are going to look at why in the period of recession the festival market has managed to flourish and grow.

A Quick scan through the list of festivals on our site reveals that many of them have only been running for less than 5 years. Festivals do normally have a short shelf life which is why you often see a large number of new festivals, but the number of new festivals over the last 5 years in previously unprecedented.  So how has the festival industry become seemingly recession proof? We have set out to investigate this and also how festivals will continue to prosper.

Festivals are now the place to be seen. Ever since the papers carried pictures of Kate Moss and Pete Doherty walking around the Glastonbury festival festivals have suddenly become cool. Where as they were the haunts of hard-core music fans they are now seen as places to go with mates, get drunk and catch some music. Notice how many of your mates are ‘checking in’ on Facebook when they’re at a music festival. This is there way of telling you how cool they think they are. Have a look at how many glorious the festival looks on the BBC in the middle of summer. Many people now want the chance to say they were there. As Lee from Bingley Music Live told us ‘What better place is there to hang out with your mates having a good time, seeing their favourite bands, listening to great music than a festival

Dumbing down to attract a wider audience. Anyone looking through recent line ups at major music festivals will have seen a growing mainstream influence. This has allowed the festival circuit to tap into a whole new audience. This might mean festivals are selling out but also means many of the audience are top shop clones who might know the words to a Jessie J song but not anything before 1999.

Modern comforts in a field. Whilst many think that going camping for a weekend at a festival is escaping modern culture they are very wrong. Festivals are now big business run by big companies who know that to make money they need happy comfortable punters. See the rise in the number of high streets shops appearing at festivals. There is also a growing market for glamping, a place for those who want to attend festival but don’t want to slum it in a tent.

Downloads have forced more bands on the Road. Before the age of downloading, bands were able to sell an album for £15 and then pick and choose when and where they performed. Now if a band wants to make any money they have to get our tour and do the festival circuit. This has meant that medium size festivals can now attract larger acts. When the Stone Roses announced their comeback, they announced a one off set off gigs in Manchester and then followed that not with a world tour but a string of festival dates all over Europe.

Improved Payment Plans. Previously if you wanted a ticket it was a case of first come first served and buying your ticket in one go. These days there are a range of offers including Deposit Schemes, Early Birds, Discounts for Past Attendees and 2 for 1. Some festival tickets have even appeared on Discount website Groupon. Cynthia Franklin off Wikifestivals said that ‘Many festivals are also offering 2 for 1 deals, and discounts for those who have attended before, Personally I feel more festivals should adopt the “special offers” approach, as this is not only rewarding to the customer, but also to the festival as well.’

Attracting Sponsors Attracting sponsors is proving harder and harder for many festivals. Last year the Festinho festival had to be cancelled due to been unable to secure sponsorship. Many festivals who previously had sponsorship and funding from councils are finding they now need to seek extra funding due to the councils having to cut back. Maria Cotton from the Holmfirth Food & Drink festival said that ‘The council has been the main sponsor for the past 6 years and we have funding for 2012. After that we will need to look to other avenues for support. Additional sponsorship has come by way of contributions in kind for time and resources.’

Free Festivals and Events. Many new free festivals are cropping up with the intention not of making admission money but of drawing people to the local area. This has meant that people can pay less on the entry cost so have more money to spend within the festival and local area. This has seen an increase in Food and Drink festivals and Local Festivals with numbers dramatically up. Helen Robinson from Grassington Festival advised us that ‘Everyone likes a bargain, especially during a recession, so we always make sure we provide a range of both ticketed and free events, to enable people on any budget join in.’

However it is not all boom, last year saw many smaller festivals having to cancel and Leeds festival still having tickets to sell a few hours before the festival started. Could it now be that the festival bubble has burst or is it simply reaching a point where there are more festivals than there is demand. Many people have now cut back so are now attending fewer higher quality events. This was noted by the Hull Comedy Festival who told us that ‘I don’t think they are necessarily looking for a cheaper festival, I think they are looking for a quality festival that will ensure value for money. Tickets can still be of the large variety and people will pay as long as the festival backs that value up with quality entertainment.’

So as you can see, in these trying times festivals have been able to prosper due to a number of reasons. The future does look very positive for the festival market although many are having to work harder than ever to secure funding and ticket sales. I think that some festivals will have to scale back both the number of days and performances on offer in order to ensure ticket prices are competitive.

We would like to thank Lee from Bingley Music Live, Cynthia from Wikifestivals, Maria Cotton from Kirklees Council, Helen Robinson from Grassington Festival and Hull Comedy Festivals for their responses in the article. If you want to see their full responses please click here.

Article By Neil jones yorkshirefestivals.net