About this toolkit

The toolkit is based on information gathered from a series of Ateliers and activities promoted by The Festival Academy, existing resources by academics and experts, and knowledge produced by our network of alumni, mentors, experts & festival practitioners. This toolkit is a constant work in progress, which is why it is intended that to be developed and updated over time as it is built upon the experience and insights generated through future activities. 

The aim of this toolkit is to provide festival experts and sector practitioners access to information on current trends related with sustainable business practices for festivals, as well as relevant contextual information on the topic. This toolkit should enable readers to get insights and inspiration for addressing challenges related with sustainability that take part of each festival.

The toolkit provides the reader with a set of issues and relevant examples that can guide future Festivals. The first part compiles relevant information about sustainability definitions and tools for implementing sustainable practices in festivals. The second part gathers best practices and examples which can serve as inspirational guides for festival-makers worldwide. It provides insights into what questions should we keep in mind before, during, and after our festivals regarding sustainability.

Why this toolkit

This toolkit is for anyone who is running a festival or thinking of creating a festival and has questions about how to maintain funding, legacy and audience engagement in a manageable way. Follow festival makers Samantha, Gaik and Glyn as they walk you through their top tips and show you the best tools in their kit to ensure long term success for your festival and your audiences.

How to provide feedback, amendments and additions:

The toolkits are open-sourced, continuously developed tools. Therefore, festival and cultural practitioners from all backgrounds and levels of experience are invited to expand these materials by adding their own contributions, building on the gathering of knowledge and insights shared with the whole festival-making community worldwide. Please email info@festivalacademy.eu for feedback, amendments, and additions.