Over 100 UK festivals commit to tackling sexual violence
16 May 2022Boomtown Fair, Boardmasters, Reading & Leeds, Bluedot, Parklife and Shambala among signatories of AIF’s Safer Spaces Campaign. Includes updated Charter of Best Practice, plus new awareness and education campaign Find out more: https://aiforg.com/initiatives/safer-spaces 103 UK festivals have committed to The Association of Independent Festivals’ (AIF) Safer Spaces At Festivals campaign, which is aimed at tackling sexual violence at festivals and…
Job opportunity: Non-Executive Chair
23 Feb 2022AIF are looking for a new Non-Executive Chair to support the CEO with the strategic development and growth of the organisation. Responsibilities of this role include Chairing and leading all meetings of the AIF board and actively monitoring and ensuring the involvement of all AIF Directors in meetings. In addition, the Chair will liaise with the CEO, Vice Chair and wider…
A statement from AIF CEO Paul Reed on the lifting of legal restrictions around Covid-19 in the UK
21 Feb 2022“While we welcome legal restrictions around Covid-19 coming to an end and the prospect of a full capacity festival season, the effects of the pandemic are still being felt by the independent festival sector and the need for Government action remains. With festival organisers facing crippling cost increases of up to 30% across operations and infrastructure, this is not back to business…
AIF announces full programme for Festival Congress in Bristol on Feb 15th.
26 Jan 2022AIF announces full Festival Congress 2022 programme for February 15th in Bristol Speakers from Black Lives In Music, Vision Nine, NME, The Mighty Hoopla, Boomtown Fair + more confirmed. ————————————————————————————– The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) are delighted to reveal the full programme for our flagship Festival Congress event in Bristol on Feb 15th. Alongside the already announced headline conversation between The F-List For Music’s Brix…
Job opportunity: Membership and Operations Coordinator
19 Jan 2022AIF are seeking a new Membership and Operations Coordinator (full time) to assist the Chief Executive Officer with the day-to-day administration and operations of the association. This is primarily an administrative role and requires a quick learner with solid all-round administrative, organisational and communication skills. You will be IT literate and a confident communicator, alongside excellent time management skills and…
Festival Congress 2022 update
11 Jan 2022Having carefully considered the public health context and latest data, and following discussion with the AIF board, we are continuing to actively plan AIF’s 2022 Festival Congress as an in-person event in Bristol on February 15th. Considering the relatively small scale of the event, at a maximum capacity of 350 attendees, we are confident that we can put appropriate mitigations…
AIF Festival Congress 2022 on sale now, headline sessions announced.
16 Dec 2021Musician Brix Smith to headline in conversation with The Guardian’s Deputy Music Editor Laura Snapes. Festival Party at Lost Horizon to feature ‘Guilty Pleasures’ DJs and dancers. Tickets on-sale now here with 30 independent festival organisers and over 100 delegates already confirmed to attend!—————————————————————————————- The one-day conference and festival party will take place in Bristol on Tuesday 15th February 2022 at the…
A statement from AIF CEO Paul Reed on the UK Government’s 2021 Budget and Spending Review
27 Oct 2021“We look forward to hearing more detail about some of the measures announced by the Chancellor today, in particular the allocation of further Covid-19 recovery funding for the cultural sector. On the surface, however, it doesn’t go far enough in supporting our truly world-leading festival industry. It is clear that the most effective way for the Government to support the…
The AIF responds to the announcement on the Government-backed insurance scheme
06 Aug 2021“AIF has campaigned for a Government-backed insurance scheme for festivals for over a year, from raising it as a headline issue with the DCMS Select Committee to working with DCMS colleagues and presenting detailed evidence and data to support the case. We are pleased that Government has listened, and we welcome this intervention to address the insurance market failure. It…
Supplementary guidance note for festivals published
02 Aug 2021A guidance note has been published for music festivals, which supplements the Government’s Step 4 Events & Attractions guidance. The briefing note specifically covers managing Test & Trace on site, and dealing with suspected Covid cases. This has been produced by a festival and outdoor event working group including AIF which meets regularly and works collaboratively with DCMS and PHE and much of the…
A statement from AIF CEO Paul Reed on confirmation of progressing to Step 4 of the lockdown roadmap
12 Jul 2021“We welcome the Health Secretary’s confirmation of progressing to Step 4 of the lockdown roadmap. Government has repeatedly stated that once we are at this stage, it will examine if insurance is still an issue for events and intervene if necessary. We are now one week away from this date and the sector needs a long overdue resolution to this problem….
A statement from AIF CEO Paul Reed on the Government’s announcement around lifting Covid restrictions
05 Jul 2021“We welcome the Prime Minister’s statement and that large events including festivals are expected to be able take place from July 19. It is positive for organisers, fans and artists alike that there will be some activity this year, though clearly it is too late for the estimated 56% of UK festivals that have already been forced to cancel and are still…