- Up to 20 festivals with a capacity of 2,500 or less will receive a fully funded, year-long Association of Independent Festivals membership.
- Open to festivals in their second year of operation or later.
- Successful applicants will also benefit from bespoke promotional support from Skiddle worth up to £5,000.
- Applications open on Thursday 27th August and close on Thursday 17th September.
The UK’s leading independent ticketing platform, Skiddle and the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) have teamed up for the second year to invite applications for a new bursary designed to support the organisers of very small and micro festivals across the UK.
The initiative will give up to 20 successful applicants a fully-funded, year-long AIF membership, providing access to the organisation’s expert network, industry guidance, legal and professional support, webinars, and a range of other resources created to help independent festivals thrive. John Rostron, Association of Independent Festivals CEO said:
“There is no manual to running a festival, but there is a network of nearly 200 festival organisers at AIF who come together to share, borrow, ask and help each other build and create their own individual events. Taking a punt on a membership of something unknown is often a big ask for an operator, but we’ve seen what that’s done for the festivals who were successful last year, and are delighted that this new bursary scheme from Skiddle will support the very smallest of festivals so they can get help when they need it, all year long.”
Recipients will also receive a bespoke promotional package from Skiddle worth up to £5,000. Tailored to the needs of each festival, the support may include editorial coverage, paid media, and a dedicated spotlight in Skiddle’s Festival Guide – vital marketing and promotional resources that connect growing festivals to an international audience of music fans. Speaking on the bursary, Duncan King, Head of Partnerships at Skiddle, said:
“Small and micro festivals play an essential role in the UK’s live music landscape. They create opportunities for emerging artists and bring communities together, providing audiences with experiences they often can’t find anywhere else.
“However, we know that running an independent festival comes with considerable challenges, especially at this scale. Through this bursary, we want to give organisers access to the expertise, resources and promotional support that can make a meaningful difference.
“We’re delighted to be working with AIF again to support the next generation of brilliant independent festivals.”
This year, the bursary is open to very small and micro independent festivals with a capacity of 2,500 or less – events that typically are in a crucial stage of growth and benefit greatly from the professional and hands-on guidance provided by AIF and Skiddle. One of last year’s recipients, Sam Southan, Founder & Creative Director at GemFest, spoke about the tangible impact that the bursary had on their event:
“We were lucky enough to have Skiddle provide us with a free membership to the AIF, which has been a huge help to us in our early years at GemFest. John Rostron and the rest of the AIF team have consistently supported us with advice and connections over the past 12 months, supporting the growth of our show from 5,000 to an anticipated 10,000 this coming year. Thanks to Skiddle and the AIF for having us on this scheme.”
Applications open on Thursday 27th August and close at 11:59 PM on Thursday 17th September. Successful applicants will be chosen independently by Skiddle and the Association of Independent Festivals.
Festival organisers can apply by visiting: promotioncentre.co.uk/backing-the-uks-independent-festivals.
Author: Sam Hyland
Sam is the assistant content manager for Event Industry News (EIN). Sam is involved in publishing news stories, videos and podcasts. Sam also collates the latest stories for the EIN e-newsletter. If you have a press release or story you think we might be interested to know about please email features@eventindustrynews.com
