The future of UK music festivals

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 6 Nov 2020 Closed: 17 Aug 2021 Parliament page
MPs will examine what support is needed for UK music festivals to return in 2021, as they consider the economic and cultural impact of festivals across the country. With the vast majority of festivals cancelled in 2020 owing to COVID-19, the sector’s revenues have dropped by 90%. The predominantly freelance … Read more
9 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
3 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 9 events
17 Aug
2021
Report published
29 May
2021
Report published
27 Apr
2021
Correspondence
24 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
16 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
26 Feb
2021
Correspondence
2 Feb
2021
Oral evidence
7 Jan
2021
Correspondence
5 Jan
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
24 Mar 2021
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Caroline Dinenage MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Victoria MacCallum · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
16 Mar 2021
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Assistant Chief Constable Justin Bibby · Staffordshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin · National Police Chiefs' Council Professor Carly McLachlan · The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Professor Fiona Measham · The Loop Robert Del Naja
2 Feb 2021
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Dr Andrew Smith Duncan Bell · WeMakeEvents Matthew Phillip · Notting Hill Carnival Ltd Rowan Cannon · Wild Rumpus Tre Stead
5 Jan 2021
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Anna Wade · Boomtown Fair Jamie Njoku-Goodwin · UK Music Paul Reed · Association of Independent Festivals Sacha Lord · Parklife and The Warehouse Project Steve Heap · Association of Festival Organisers
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - The future of UK music festivals HC 49 29 May 2021 14 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
14 results
1 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - The future of UK mu…
With only 8% of festivals applying for the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund,...
With only 8% of festivals applying for the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund, and those that were successful receiving just 1.3% of the available grants, the Government’s flagship investment in the arts was of limited benefit to the … Read more
Government Response
The Government highlights its comprehensive financial support for the festival sector during the pandemic, including over £21 million awarded to music festivals from the final round of the Culture Recovery Fund, but does not specifically address the committee's conclusion about lessons to be learned regarding engagement with festivals.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Recommendation Accepted
First Report - The future of UK mu…
Government-backed insurance is crucial to mitigating the Covid-19 related risks to festival organisers and enabling...
Government-backed insurance is crucial to mitigating the Covid-19 related risks to festival organisers and enabling them to start planning, as the vast majority do not have the financial resilience to cover the costs of another year of late-notice cancellations. Despite … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation and has swiftly worked with the insurance industry to announce a Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, directly addressing the need for government-backed insurance to mitigate COVID-19 related risks for festival organisers.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - The future of UK mu…
We repeat our call for the Government to introduce a time-limited insurance scheme for costs...
We repeat our call for the Government to introduce a time-limited insurance scheme for costs incurred by live events scheduled to take place after 21 June that may have to cancel if there is a need for, or return to, … Read more
Government Response
The Government acknowledges challenges for touring and commits to continue working closely with creative industries and keeping them informed, but does not commit to introducing a time-limited insurance scheme for event cancellations due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - The future of UK mu…
The success of the vaccine rollout and the target date announced during our inquiry under...
The success of the vaccine rollout and the target date announced during our inquiry under the Government’s roadmap for lifting lockdown gave hope to many that festivals will be able to take place this summer. However, the lifting of all … Read more
Government Response
The government's response discusses supporting festivals on emissions targets and environmental measures in licensing, which does not address the committee's conclusion regarding the Events Research Programme and the need for further festival pilots.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - The future of UK mu…
While our preference remains for a comprehensive sector-wide insurance scheme, we recommend, in the absence...
While our preference remains for a comprehensive sector-wide insurance scheme, we recommend, in the absence of such a scheme, a targeted intervention that extends the Events Research Programme and associated liabilities to a range of additional pilot events, including festivals … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focuses on tackling drug misuse, including its stance on front-of-house and back-of-house drug testing at festivals, which does not address the recommendation for extending the Events Research Programme to additional pilot events.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - The future of UK mu…
Festival supply chains and freelance workers cannot sustain another year with little to no income.
Festival supply chains and freelance workers cannot sustain another year with little to no income. Continued uncertainty about whether events will go ahead or a significant reduction in the number that do go ahead this summer will make it harder … Read more
Government Response
The government's response addresses measures to crack down on unacceptable behaviour in the ticketing market, which does not engage with the committee's concern about the financial sustainability of festival supply chains and freelance workers.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The future of UK mu…
We welcome the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative to increase the number of female artists appearing...
We welcome the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative to increase the number of female artists appearing in festival line-ups, and recommend that all festivals sign up to it. During the pandemic, support from the public purse has been available for festivals, … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Keychange initiative and agrees that festivals should ensure greater representation of female artists. However, it offers no new government action, instead pointing to Arts Council England's existing expectations for National Portfolio Organisations regarding diversity.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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8 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - The future of UK mu…
The UK has long occupied an important place in Europe’s live music ecosystem, and has...
The UK has long occupied an important place in Europe’s live music ecosystem, and has traditionally been a starting point for tours creating work for UK-based freelancers and suppliers. The substantial UK-based infrastructure, including haulage, for tours and festivals is … Read more
Government Response
The Government details actions taken to support touring artists, including establishing a working group and providing new guidance. However, it implicitly rejects monthly reporting to the Committee, stating its own communication channels are considered most appropriate for updates.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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9 Conclusion Accepted in Part
First Report - The future of UK mu…
The UK-EU trade and co-operation deal threatens not only the vibrancy of the UK’s festivals...
The UK-EU trade and co-operation deal threatens not only the vibrancy of the UK’s festivals but the music industry as a whole. The cost and complication of moving people and equipment between the UK and EU will make it less … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the challenges for touring artists post-Brexit and reiterates its efforts to secure bespoke arrangements with individual EU Member States. It is establishing a new DCMS-led working group, producing new guidance, and considering an Export Office to provide practical help to the creative industries.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - The future of UK mu…
Despite the good intentions and countless initiatives to reduce the environmental impacts of festivals, the...
Despite the good intentions and countless initiatives to reduce the environmental impacts of festivals, the growth of the market has undermined the sector’s efforts to reduce overall emissions, and the legacy of the pandemic presents a further threat to those … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees with the goal of supporting emissions reduction and will work with DEFRA and MHCLG to explore incorporating strict environmental measures into local authority licensing frameworks for festivals. They also acknowledge current industry efforts and urge organisers to continue progress.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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11 Recommendation Accepted in Part
First Report - The future of UK mu…
We recommend that before the 2023 festival season the Government, the Local Government Association and...
We recommend that before the 2023 festival season the Government, the Local Government Association and representatives from across the festival sector develop standardised environmental objectives that local authorities must adopt when licensing festivals, and that local authorities should report back … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees with supporting emissions reduction and will explore with DEFRA and MHCLG the proposal to include strict environmental measures within local authority licensing frameworks for festivals. They also acknowledge existing industry sustainability efforts.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - The future of UK mu…
We are highly concerned that a compressed festival season, the likely circulation of high-strength, adulterated...
We are highly concerned that a compressed festival season, the likely circulation of high-strength, adulterated drugs and increased risk-taking after lockdown will lead to a spike in drug-related deaths at festivals this summer. We heard compelling 34 The future of … Read more
Government Response
The Government acknowledges concerns about festival drug testing but states it is unable to support front-of-house testing until further assessments of unintended consequences are carried out, thus rejecting the implied recommendation for this type of drug checking. It will, however, continue to support back-of-house testing.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - The future of UK mu…
We recommend that, before festivals take place this summer, the Home Secretary should make regulations...
We recommend that, before festivals take place this summer, the Home Secretary should make regulations under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that allow organisations conducting drug checking to operate lawfully. Thereafter, the Government should introduce a … Read more
Government Response
The Government states it is unable to support front-of-house drug testing at festivals until further assessments of potential unintended consequences are carried out, thereby rejecting the immediate recommendation for regulations and a licensing scheme. However, it will continue to support back-of-house testing.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - The future of UK mu…
With tickets on sale for festivals that might not take place, we are concerned that...
With tickets on sale for festivals that might not take place, we are concerned that the difficulty of securing refunds from secondary ticketing platforms, and the industry’s understandable desire to maximise sales, could mean consumers lose out as the events … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected the recommendation to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impact in a formal Post Implementation Review of the Ticket Sales Regulations 2018, stating such a review is not appropriate, though it committed to ongoing monitoring of the offence's effectiveness.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Government Response AI assessment · 14 of 9 classified
Accepted 1
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 5
Rejected 4
Total 9 recs + 5 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
27 Apr 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Secretary of State for DCMS, re Extension of pilot scheme and associated liabilities to large events this summer, 27 April 2021
Parliament page
26 Feb 2021 To committee Letter from John Glen MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, re festivals, 8 February 2021
Parliament page
7 Jan 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, re festivals, 6 January 2021
Parliament page