Led by the European Festival Research Project (EFRP) in association with the UK Centre for Events Management (UKCEM) and the Cultural Policy and Planning Unit (CPPU) at Leeds Metropolitan University

Festivals emerge in response to a variety of different factors, for some it is the vision of an individual artist/curator, for others it is in response to a communal action or a policy initiative on the part of a local authority or other ‘destination’. Surprisingly, given how ubiquitous festivals are in today’s cultural landscape, there is limited comparative work on how such different starting points support the growth and the sustainability of a festival.

Furthermore, as festivals become established with a Board and diverse stakeholders, the balance of power can shift along with the festival’s objectives.

This symposium will explore the governance and leadership of festivals (e.g. governed by a Board of Directors, an artistic director, a collective or the local authority) and the impact of different structures on the festival in terms of its organisational development, its artistic programme, its ability to position itself within cultural policy agendas and the impact of political leadership.

The main interest is to examine the evidence for the effectiveness of different organisational models in meeting a festival’s objectives, in relation to artistic programming, audience development and placemaking and the implications when things go wrong.