In what is shaping up to be one of the busiest summer seasons for the live events industry to date, we thought we would take a beat to catch up with the hard-working crew members and companies who have been busy creating magical experiences in the fields of the UK and Europe for the past few months.
Although there is an ever-present threat facing the festival industry with many events sadly having to close their gates – in some cases for good – there were still several production highlights from the summer.
There does seem to be a shift with the industry as was highlighted in Ticketmaster’s State of Play Report. The survey discovered a growing move of festival’s becoming more of a family destination. More than two in five parents see musical festivals as a replacement to the traditional summer holiday. Also, sustainable practices are proving to be a big sway on festivals-goers decision on the events they attend. In the report, 67% of fans say sustainability impacts their ticket choice with 77% desiring less waste and 66% desiring low-carbon travel options.
This demand, has led to the production world having to find solutions for this demand seen at events such as LIDO Festival using Grid Faeries x Ecotricity battery solution to power the main stage and parts of the site with renewable electricity – demonstrating how a mainstream London festival can radically reduce its carbon footprint without compromising on safety, quality or experience.
The event also saw the use of Mercedes-Benz electric trucks, operated by KB Event to further lower the events carbon impact.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: TPi (p92), Jan Heesen (p93), Jake Davis(p94), Justin Ng (The 1975), Liteup (The Lion’s Gate), Reiner Pfisterer (Stuttgart Jazz Open).
