Behind the Scenes – Organising a Festival

This article was written in 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Organising an event is hard work in normal times, but during the coronavirus pandemic it became much more difficult, and many large events decided not to go ahead because of the uncertainty and the amount of organising involved. Glastonbury was cancelled for the second year in a row in 2021, while some events were rescheduled rather than cancelled outright, such as the Isle of Wight Festival, which moved from its usual June slot to September.

Keeping Everyone Safe

Organising a festival takes time and expert planning. Because of the large number of people attending, safety is one of the key considerations. Security must be on site to protect people if anything gets out of hand, and it is also important to have medical cover for events like this, such as Private Paramedic Services. They can deal with common problems at festivals, from heatstroke to the effects of drinking too much alcohol.

Acts, Stages and Crew

As well as making sure people are safe, the acts and stages need to be booked, along with the sound engineers, technicians and artistic assistants who make sure everyone enjoys the show. This can cost a lot and take quite some time to plan properly.

Food and Drink

Food and drink also need to be available, and a wide variety of caterers must be booked to make sure there is enough for everyone attending.