AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 57

3. INFORMAL EVENTS CAN HAVE UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Managed right, events can and do appeal to all ages. Some people
still imagine that music festivals, for instance, are simply large
loud events that cater mostly for single men swigging too much
beer. But such perceptions of informal events aren’t always just.
According to a report by UK Festival Awards, about 60 per cent
of people at music festivals are women, and/or are in relationships
or married. Demographically, there’s an attendance bulge around
the life-stage that runs from 21 to 25 years old – that of students;
but there’s also a bulge before and after 41-50 years. With the
reasonable twin assumptions that the recent trend toward ‘family-
friendly’ festivals continues and that today’s fans stay loyal to the
festival scene, Chart 18, opposite, gives a rough forecast of the ageing
process. It suggests that the demographics of music festivals in
2030 may prove even more balanced than they are today.
Take, too, the example of disability at music festivals. Between
2017 and 2018, the charity Attitude is Everything says, more than
170,000 deaf and disabled people attended 160 UK venues and
festivals that had signed up to AiE’s Charter of Best Practice. Not
for nothing has AiE also trained almost 7,000 music industry
professionals: it estimates that deaf and disabled people, along with
people with chronic health problems, now comprise fully 10 per cent
of live music attendees in the UK. At 20 Charter venues and festivals
aided by the AiE over 2014-18, deaf and disabled numbers increased
by a commendable 151 per cent.
As accessibility improves still further by 2030, so will customer
demand. By their nature, informal events tend to embrace all
groups in society. And it’s the same story with the NTE. As the
sociologist Frank Furedi has written:
“Powerful social trends and global economic forces continue to drive the
24-hour city, throughout the modern world. The NTE provides a socially
inclusive forum through which different groups of society can interact…
although it is frequently argued that the NTE contributes to the polarised
lives led by generations, it has in fact considerable potential for providing
a bridge between generations. Across Europe, people in their 40s and 50s
engage with the NTE alongside younger generations.”
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Chart 18
Source: UK Festival Awards,
Market report 2017, 2018.
Forecasts for 2030 are
indicative only, and are
those of the author