How to run a festival: Beware of stilt walkers in the rain

From scarecrows in Co Laois to true love in Lisdoonvarna, fringe theatre in Dublin and amazing arts across Galway: festivals focus on all manner of things. So how do you go about setting up and running one? John Crumlish, CEO of the Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF), has a few tips.

CEO sounds pretty business-like

It is. GIAF is huge, with budgets in the millions. Crumlish is joined by artistic director Paul Fahy and a board and teams of people to get it all done. Smaller festivals will wrap different roles into one, but whatever way you’re thinking of doing it, ignore the business side at your peril.

And that’s it, success assured?

“The best piece of advice ever comes from Steve Martin, when he was a comedian,” says Crumlish. “He said ‘You just have to be so good, you can’t be ignored.’” Fair enough, but with a festival, you have to be good in lots of different areas including budgeting, accounting, logistics, health and safety, risk assessments, local liaison, marketing, travel and hospitality, contracts, permits and more. That’s on top of creating a brilliant programme of amazing events.

Help!

Maybe the second best piece of advice is to break it all down, and tackle things step by step. Start small and grow. “Your first job is to become a fixture,” Crumlish says. “Then an established fixture. You want to be a place of pilgrimage, that people return to. Your next big trick is become a sustainable, professional organisation and outlast your founders.”

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You mentioned budgeting

Perhaps that’s the least sexy and yet the most important part. Think of a budget like a recipe. Everything that goes into the mix is listed, and costed. Add a bit for contingency, and off you go. More broadly, almost all established arts festivals operate on the same basic income balance: one-third box office, one-third grants and one-third sponsorship. Keep your eye on all three. Try not to annoy anyone either. Festivals are amazing, but they are also disruptive, so get people onside in advance of time. It might be your vision, but the more stakeholders buy in, the better your chance of long-term success.

[ Galway International Arts Festival: 15 events you don’t want to miss ]

Sounds more like I need a degree in psychology

Funny you should say that. Crumlish initially studied psychology. He joined the GIAF as a volunteer, working his way up via crew and production roles to CEO. More recently, he took a Master’s Degree in Business. “Successful festivals have to be businesses,” he says, describing how, while arts people tend to see themselves as outliers, business strategies can still help. Some things, however, will always be learned the hard way, such as, Crumlish notes wryly “stilt walkers can’t go down the streets on cobblestones if it rains for more than half an hour...”.

I’m more confused than ever

Don’t be. Festivals are wonderful. Those involved will tell you that there’s nothing like the buzz of putting one together and successfully seeing it through. Don’t forget, the template is there; take a look at the programmes of similar festivals, and see the list of jobs involved. It’s a pretty good guide to what you’ll need.

Also, check out their funders and supporters pages. The Arts Council have funding schemes for festivals at different levels, while local authorities also have programmes in place – find details on their websites. And don’t be afraid to ask for advice – it’s a very supportive community. Just make sure to pick your moment. In the run up to the event, and for a while afterwards, everyone will be too busy spinning a million plates of their own!

The Galway International Arts Festival runs from July 17th to 30th. See giaf.ie

See also:

Durrow Scarecrow Festival, July 30th to August 7th, durrowscarecrowfestival.com

Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, September 1st to 30th, matchmakerireland.com

Dublin Fringe Festival, September 9th to 24th, fringefest.com