Tax Relief for Festivals: AIF Conference Highlights

We’re proud to see our Production Director & Festival Lead, Fiona McGinn, featured in this fantastic article today, sharing insight into the work behind some of Ireland’s biggest summer festivals. At FUEL, Fiona leads the production and delivery of three major events in Ireland’s cultural calendar: WellFest, Kaleidoscope, and Beyond The Pale. Each festival offers a completely different audience experience - from health and wellness, to family-focused creativity, to world-class music and arts - but they share the same commitment to thoughtful programming and high-quality production. As Fiona explains in the article, the work begins long before festival season arrives. Planning, creative development, logistics, and collaboration with artists, partners and suppliers can start 18 months in advance, with multiple festival cycles overlapping at any given time. At the heart of the process is a simple principle: “If it doesn’t work for the audience, it doesn’t work.” That audience-first mindset drives everything from programming and site design to the atmosphere and experience on the ground. It’s what helps ensure that each festival continues to evolve while staying true to what audiences love about them. Producing events at this scale requires balancing creativity with complex operational planning - from artists and staging to materials, labour and the wider festival ecosystem - all while responding to rising costs and changing audience expectations. Huge congratulations to Fiona and the wider team who work year-round to bring these festivals to life. The countdown to summer 2026 is well underway.

So, this is a bit of a rant about the opening concert of the Adelaide Festival. I’m writing this as someone who dedicates a fair amount of time, mostly pro-bono, to help local Adelaide artists find pathways to successfully earn a living from their craft. Many of the people I mentor are musicians who write and perform their own music in a band. It is very difficult for original musicians in Adelaide to gain any sort of economic reward, even if they have all the talent in the world, great songs, and a great ensemble. The opening concert, which is on tonight, is a free public outdoor show with the British band Pulp. The concert was announced with a fair amount of grandstanding from politicians like Premier Malinauskas and SA Arts Minister Andrea Michaels. It’s ‘presenting partners’ include the Adelaide Economic Development Agency and the City of Adelaide, so a heck of a lot of tax-payer money is being used to stage the concert. Now, I think this is a worthy event to invest our tax dollars in. It will be a great night for the local community, and a grand way to kick off a fantastic festival. I really like Pulp and I’m looking forward to going and bringing the kids along myself. I’m dashing this post off quickly so I can dash to woolies to get some snacks and rain ponchos so we can get there early with the right supplies. What I find very disappointing about this event, is that an important part of our community that could have benefitted most from it, and should have been central to it, has effectively been shut out of it – our local musicians who write and perform their own music. Customarily, for such events, local musicians are given the opportunity to perform ahead of the main act, however, for this event, no musicians have been given this chance. With live music venues becoming scarcer, events like this present a great opportunity for local artists to showcase their songs and abilities to a large audience of thousands of people. Such opportunities can truly be life-changing for those who get to perform on these big stages. Our musicians provide so much of the vibrancy we have in this city, often for little reward in turn. Economic development too often neglects the common people. Next time, we need to do a lot better.

'Initially, UKAT (UK Artist Touring Fund) will distribute proceeds of £125,000 collected by the LIVE Trust as part of a voluntary ticket contribution applied on arena and stadium shows for artists including Harry Styles, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Ed Sheeran, Take That, The Cure, Kojey Radical and Foo Fighters.' 'This rapid-response phase one of UKAT will be open to UK-based artists performing domestic headline tours in small to mid-sized venues. These shows must take place before October 31, 2026, and the majority must be promoter-booked with guarantees.' Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) MMF (Music Managers Forum) and LIVE Trust funding initiative in Music Week https://lnkd.in/eFsVxQZ6

With so many competing pressures on festivals and outdoor events, how can the sector take action in a way that is coordinated, realistic and capable of delivering meaningful change? Ahead of a dedicated panel session at the Event Production Show this week, Julie's Bicycle music programme lead Richard Phillips outlines what’s included in the newly released Show Must Go On report and the Climate Transition Plan. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8i4AZwJ #live #feature #EPS2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁. Awakenings VERKNIPT Lowlands Zwarte Cross Defqon.1 (Q-dance) What do they all have in common? People don’t just remember the line-up. They also remember: • the stage design • the sound system • the visuals • the crowd energy • the rituals (like Defqon’s endshow) • the feeling of stepping into another world for a day. That’s not just booking artists. That’s experience design. And it’s why these festivals stay relevant year after year. Because when the experience becomes the brand, the line-up becomes one piece of the puzzle. But there’s also something deeper. Experiences like these matter. Humans have always gathered around music, fire, rhythm, and shared emotion. Festivals are simply the modern version of that. A place where people connect, celebrate, and feel something together. And maybe that’s why these events are so powerful. Because they remind us that culture isn’t just something we watch. It’s something we experience together.

Music festivals can be more than just entertainment; they can reshape local economies and create lasting career opportunities. By viewing these events as systemic levers, communities can turn cultural moments into sustainable growth and development. #festivaleconomics #careerdev

Yesterday I had the pleasure of returning as a guest speaker on the Arts & Festival Management course at De Montfort University, alongside brilliant colleagues from PPL and PRS for Music. It’s always a highlight of the year for me — not just to share what we do, but to start conversations with the next generation of industry talent about why copyright matters, and how TheMusicLicence helps ensure music creators are paid fairly for their work. Many of the students were musicians and DJs themselves, and it was great to see the moment they realised that these organisations exist to support their ability to build a sustainable career in music. Hopefully we’ve inspired a few future PPL and PRS members too! We also had valuable discussions about what’s required when organising festivals and events, and why factoring in TheMusicLicence is such an important part of getting things right. I’ll admit I was completely out of my depth on some of the DJ‑mixing technicalities talk — the terminology flew straight over my head — but their passion for their craft was infectious. Looking forward to hopefully bumping into some of them at the Riverside Festival in June, organised by Leicester City Council and supported by DMU and PPL PRS Ltd. And of course… I was far too busy chatting to remember to take a photo! 📸

'To help music fans with their research, NZPA’s website contains a list of promoters and event companies that have opened their books and been vetted, verified and approved. “It’s a bit like a master builders’ ticket,” Lillas says. “It’s so you know there’s some foundation behind them. They've clearly got a track record; they've clearly got integrity, and it’s been checked by the industry. That’s how you can know you’re dealing with a reputable company.” At NZPA’s next AGM, Lillas says they’ll be deciding on a logo for a verification badge that these promoters will be able to use to give ticket buyers an assurance they’re buying from the right people. This should be in place by next summer, he says, improving confidence for punters who just want to know whether their concert is going ahead. Until there’s a law requiring ticketing money to be ring-fenced, he says it’s the best they can do. “We need that trust tick,” he says.' NZPA (New Zealand Promoters Association) Consumer NZ Chris Schulz https://lnkd.in/eEB8jgf9

🎶🧹 Churchill Group appointed at major music venue Churchill has secured a new three-year specialist cleaning contract at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead – one of the North East’s most iconic cultural venues. The contract covers internal cleaning services across the landmark building on the banks of the River Tyne, which operates as a charity and recently celebrated its 21st anniversary. With a busy programme of performances and public events, the venue requires a highly flexible service model that adapts to both daily operations and peak event activity. A dedicated team of 15 cleaning professionals will maintain the interior of the building, supported by a tailored management structure with regular site visits and performance monitoring. Churchill has already completed mobilisation and introduced: ✔️ Smarter resource deployment ✔️ Innovative working practices ✔️ A focus on high-use areas ✔️ Flexibility to scale around concerts and major events Lewis Hyam, Director of Operations & Technology at The Glasshouse, said Churchill’s approach shows a clear understanding of the building and the realities of running a busy, public-facing cultural venue. Another strong example of FM services playing a critical role in supporting the UK’s arts and cultural infrastructure.