“ IT COMES DOWN TO A TOOTHLESS UNION THAT PROCLAIMS TO REPRESENT THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR .”
OPINION
No secret for independent festivals
In the wake of the final Secret Garden Party , the event ’ s founder Freddie Fellowes provides passionate views on why the future needs independent festivals , and what is behind their shocking demise
Firstly , I think there is something that needs to be said about what a festival is , the answer for each of you will vary depending on what outdoor events you have been to and relate this term to . For me , a festival is more than a ‘ gig-in-a-field ’, it is a gathering of like-minded souls around a theme that brings several tribes together , be that food fanatics , extreme sports fans or , in my case , music and creativity . The latter has seen an unprecedented explosion over the last 20 years and , as with any expansion of a particular market , big business has been quick to follow .
UK music festivals have become massive revenue generators both nationally and locally . SGP alone has had an economic impact on local businesses in excess of £ 11m , but the financials are just one side . Events such as ours have given platforms and inspiration for new bands , new businesses , new relationships , as well as new ways of thinking about things – the value of which is far harder to measure .
To grossly oversimplify , most independent events are started by individuals who believe in these immeasurable benefits . Ask any small festival founder and they will all tell you that they didn ’ t start their project to make money , they were simply passion projects that , if successful , could hopefully breakeven or better .
Big business has been quick to see opportunities in this market whether that is in sponsorship , data collection or just simply revenue – by getting into the game themselves .
Since lockdown , many independent businesses have found it hard to continue and the independent festival scene has been no different . Once erstwhile
“ IT COMES DOWN TO A TOOTHLESS UNION THAT PROCLAIMS TO REPRESENT THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR .”
and staunchly counter-cultural events have sold their controlling shares to multi-national event companies , other independent event producers have found their businesses suffer from the immeasurable change in event culture and everyone has had to face the combined challenges of rising costs alongside increasingly aggressive tactics from the larger , non-independent , events
Freddie Fellowes
as well as governmental indifference to the potential monopolisation of live events , something that the USA has shown is a real threat – with the US Department of Justice suing to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster .
This should be bigger news than it is because we are regularly losing spaces , both indoor and outdoor , that incubate and foster emerging talents , as well as recreational events that are about more than making as much money as possible . So why is this not news ? Well , at the risk of getting a bunch of angry emails , part of it comes down to a toothless union that proclaims to represent the independent sector while happily having multiple members that are owned by Live Nation , Superstruct or the like .
SGP set out to highlight this plight with the help of many of its excellent content providers : Chai Wallahs , Save Our Scene and Truth Tribe to name but a few . Of the 18-plus editions of the Garden Party , this summer ’ s was our best because it exemplified everything that we should be treasuring in this scene . Don ’ t believe me ? Then just compare the photos and the comments generated with ____________ ( insert name of any non-independent festival here ).
As for the future ? Well that , as yet , is unwritten …. accessaa . co . uk 11