Careers

Festival Coordinator

Festivals are incredible events, spanning from one day to multiple days, which showcase amazing talents from the creative industries and beyond. There are a lot of components that make up a festival.

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Also known as:

Festival Manager, Festival Operations Officer, Festival Logistics Officer

Skill Level:

Experienced

What does a Festival Manager do?

Live festivals are multifaceted events, usually in person, which can take place for one or multiple days. Festival managers deal with health and safety, budgeting, logistics, and many other elements of festival set-up. They will be part of a team that turns a venue into a functioning event environment before returning the site to its original state, often within a short time frame. They will manage the delivery of necessary equipment, liaising with other teams to ensure a smooth process. Festival Managers will be actively involved in the pre and post event processes, as well as being onsite during the event. They may also need to manage any temporary members of staff that are only hired for the duration of the event. In any context working safely and ethically is paramount and many projects are carried out in fast moving, dynamic workplaces, and so managers will usually also have to consider completing risk assessments. Festival Managers will be expected to work both individually and as part of a team. They will be able to work with minimum supervision, taking responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work that is undertaken. They will be proactive in finding solutions to problems and identifying areas for improving processes. The nature of this role requires that candidates are able to be on their feet for long periods of time. Festival Managers may also be in contact with artists, and so need to remain professional.

What’s a Festival Manager good at?

The dynamic and diverse nature of live events means that festival managers will need the ability to work within various team environments, under pressure and to tight deadlines. A safe working attitude and an appreciation of the needs of other disciplines operating in the same workplace is crucial.

Other required attitudes, behaviours & interpersonal skills associated with the professional workplace include:

  • The ability to work as part of a team, which may vary in size and dynamic.
  • A passion for the festival’s style of music or performing arts.
  • The ability to work and remain calm & safe under pressure.
  • A safe attitude – specifically regarding working with VIP’s, the public, manual handling & noise.
  • The ability to adapt to change with enthusiasm.
  • The ability to demonstrate problem-solving abilities.
  • A willingness to work unsociable hours in varying locations for extended periods.
  • Punctuality, reliability and personal responsibility.
  • Self-motivated with a positive ‘can do’ attitude, clear goals and ambition.
  • The ability to be an effective communicator.
  • Strong organisational skills.

In addition to this, there are a multitude of skills that are desirable to have as a Festival Manager such as the below:

  • Being able to manage teams of people.
  • Fault finding when planning events, and being able to come up with contingencies.
  • People management and interpersonal skills, especially the ability to react to varied working environments.
  • Computer literacy including the use of spreadsheets, shared drives, password protected documents, and task management systems.
  • Logistics – with specific reference to the delivery of event equipment and venue/site liaison.
  • Customer service – dealing politely & respectfully with customers, ranging from account managers to production managers to the end client when on site.

Tools of the trade:

  • Understand planning processes required to deliver a live event and the importance of eliminating errors that can prove costly on site.
  • Familiarity with task management systems.
  • Health and safety knowledge, knowing how to fill in risk assessments.
  • Understand management structures within event environment, site etiquette and culture, including on site communication and interdependencies between departments.
  • Working knowledge of event logistics, admin, booking systems, risk management, and budgeting.
  • Knowledge of the environmental impact of live events and how it is managed.
  • A clear understanding of the sectors within the live events industry.

How do I become a Festival Manager?

At School or College: Maths, English, an interest in music/performing arts/gaming (depending on what type of festival you want to manage). Computer skills can be useful.

Gain work experience / Build a portfolio: Volunteering for school productions, working at local theatres or venues, gain admin experience and skills in Microsoft Office and Google Suite. Apply for volunteering opportunities with festivals during the summer.

Look for an apprenticeship: https://findapprenticeshiptraining.apprenticeships.education.gov.uk/courses/159

Get a degree: Music and Management degrees, Events Management degrees, and Live Music degrees.

Further resources

 

For more inspiring ideas on careers in the Creative Industries check out: https://discovercreative.careers/#/