The Fair’s CEO Nick Morgan appeared on BBC Radio 4, discussing the challenges facing the festival industry, and how we can support them.
It comes as The Fair continues to spread the ‘Your Festival Needs You’ campaign – celebrating the value of festivals, in a bid to gather vital support for independent events.
Speaking about the campaign on BBC Radio 4’s episode of ‘Front Row’ on June 11, the CEO said: “We want to celebrate the festival community, talk about all the positive things…whether it’s meeting friends for life, the escapism from everyday normality, falling in love, social interaction with your peer groups, elements of discovery. And also huge value for money.”
He was joined by music journalist Georgie Rogers, who also opened up about the importance of festivals for UK culture, the economy and society.
You can listen to the full discussion online [From 27.20 onwards] on BBC iPlayer.
About ‘Your Festival Needs You’
Festival production company The Fair has launched a campaign celebrating the value of festivals, in a bid to gather vital support for independent events.
‘Your Festival Needs You’ invites people from across the events industry and beyond to speak about the value of festivals, and why it is important that people continue to support festivals if they wish to avoid saying goodbye to anymore.
The campaign urges the public to take advantage of early bird tickets, talk to friends about festivals, and create a short video selfie online – sharing their passion for festivals and using the hashtag #yourfestivalneedsyou.
Artists, promoters, event organisers and leaders have come together to share their favourite festival memories, and explain why festivals need support now more than ever.
Supporting The Fair’s campaign, Radio 1 Presenter and DJ Danny Howard said: “Festivals are vital to DJs and artists because sometimes that’s their window to be discovered.
“My favourite memories of going to festivals are going and seeing a DJ that I didn’t know I was going to see and absolutely loving it and becoming a fan.
“So that’s why it’s important festivals are here and they are thriving and you need to go to them.”
This year, 28 festivals have already cancelled, postponed or have made 2024 their final edition. It is predicted over 100 festivals could disappear by the end of the year. This is a result of high supply chain costs, the pandemic and Brexit.
Nick Morgan, CEO of The Fair and We Group, said: “Independent festivals are vital ecosystems for innovation, diversity, and economic activity. As well as providing incredible experiences for consumers, festivals serve as unique platforms for artists who may not be heard otherwise.
“As we are already seeing with the cancellation of dozens of events this year, the festival scene is at serious risk. ‘Your Festival Needs You’ is more than a slogan, it’s a strategy for survival and growth.
“We’re calling on everyone who cares about festivals to unite, and support this campaign today.”
How can I get involved?
Those wishing to support the campaign are being urged to share a selfie video, stating why they are supporting The Fair’s campaign. This can include: why they believe festivals are important, their fondest festival memory, or why support is so vital for festivals.
This should then be shared on socials, tagging @wearethefair (Instagram) or @The Fair (LinkedIn).
