Symposium on ‘Social Inclusion, Community,
and Belonging at International Music Festivals’

The University of Sheffield

14 June 2024

We are very pleased to host the International Festivals Research Network Symposium 2024 which will bring together scholars, artists and industry experts to discuss social inclusion, community, and belonging at international music festivals. With insightful presentations, interactive workshops and discussion sessions, this symposium offers an opportunity for participants to showcase their work while learning about the issues affecting festivals in different contexts. We will share ideas about the future possibilities of festivals and collaborate to communicate our findings to a wider audience.

We have an exciting lineup of distinguished speakers; please click here to view the preliminary programme. The symposium is hosted in partnership with the Migration Matters Festival, which celebrates the diversity of Sheffield through the performing arts and will provide a vibrant setting for our conversations on the significance of festivals today.

The symposium will take place at 38 Mappin St, The University of Sheffield, S1 4DT, from 9am to 6pm on Friday 14th June 2024. This event will be in a hybrid format, so that participants can take part onsite (in Sheffield) and those who cannot attend in person due to travel, health or funding restrictions can participate online. We welcome anyone with an interest in music festivals or anyone who would like to find out more about festivals to attend – don’t miss out on this unique chance to hear about the social impact of festivals and connect with academic and industry experts. The symposium coincides with the opening of the Migration Matters Festival, which will take place in the evening of 14th June 2024. You can find out more details about the festival here: https://www.migrationmattersfestival.co.uk/

Registration

Whether you are planning to attend in person or online, please register using the following link: https://forms.gle/Vdz1GCqVJwQxC77i8. This is a catered event, so please let us know upon registration if you have any dietary requirements. The deadline for registration is Thursday 6 June 2024. If official registration has closed but you would still like to attend, please contact the organiser.

Important Dates

Call for Proposals: 15 October 2023.

Deadline to submit a proposal: 15 December 2023.

Extended deadline to submit a proposal: 19 January 2024.

Notification of outcome: 26 January 2024.

Deadline for Travel Award application: 2 February 2024.

Registration deadline: Thursday 6 June 2024.

Deadline for online presentation submission: Friday 7 June 2024.

Symposium date: Friday 14 June 2024.

Contact Information

Contact: Dr James Nissen – j.nissen@sheffield.ac.uk 

Organisers

This symposium is organised by Dr James Nissen (The University of Sheffield), in partnership with Sam Holland (Migration Matters). It is further supported by Prof. Fay Hield and the Contemporary Folklore Research Centre (https://contemporaryfolklore.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/), as well as members of Marketing and Professional Services teams (Victoria Berry, Luke Hilton, Alex McGibbon, Nathan Newton, Vin Silvestri). The event is made possible thanks to funding from the British Academy and UKRI (Higher Education Innovation Fund).

We look forward to welcoming you to the Steel City!