The Fair releases behind-the-scenes documentary showing why festival industry deserves more support

• Festival production company The Fair has released a behind-the-scenes festival documentary
• ‘It Takes A Village’ follows the team on site at various festivals across the summer, showing the reality of bringing events to life
• The team hope that shining a light on the value of festivals and events will encourage further support to keep the industry thriving
• CEO Nick Morgan warns of ‘cultural crisis’, and Director Yasmin Galletti urges for ‘industry to rally together to save what we love most’

Festival production company The Fair launched a behind-the-scenes documentary this week, highlighting challenges faced across the industry, and why the events sector deserves further support.

‘It Takes A Village’ follows the festival production team on site at a wide range of UK festivals and events over the 2023 summer season, from Boiler Room: London, Eastern Electrics, El Dorado, Maiden Voyage and Gottwood, to Savour Food Festival and the world’s largest Talent Acquisition festival, RecFest in Knebworth Park.

The London-based production team, who have been building large scale festivals and events for a decade, created the documentary to shine a light on the hard work that goes into bringing festivals to life, as well as the increasing challenges faced across the sector. From lightning strikes to rail strikes, the documentary follows the team on site as they face hurdles in the fields. While off-site, the industry also battles with increasing supply chain costs and minimal support.

‘But these challenges are exactly what we wanted to highlight in this short film,’ The Fair team posted on their website, ‘As an industry, we all work tirelessly to bring these events to life, something which we should be celebrating more often.

‘We hope that shining a light on our amazing industry will show exactly why the festival sector not only deserves more support, but needs it – now more than ever,’ the team added.

One in six UK festivals that were around in 2019 were no longer around in 2023, the Association of Independent Festivals reports. Already, more have been lost in 2024, with Standon Calling and NASS amongst recent cancellations.

In response, industry organisations are calling for urgent action from government. This includes AIF’s ‘Five Percent For Festivals’ campaign, also supported by The Fair, which asks supporters to write to their MP and request a three-year VAT reduction on music festival ticket sales, in a bid to keep festivals afloat.

The documentary launched at the Night Time Industry Association’s Night Time Economy Summit in Manchester on Friday, February 9, where The Fair also hosted a series of panels exploring topics spanning across the festivals and events industry.

Nick Morgan, CEO of The Fair / WeGroup, said: “I’ve been very vocal around the cultural crisis we’re facing. Never has it been so important that the sector is supported by government. Hopefully this documentary highlights all the hard work our industry does, and the need for more support.”

Yasmin Galletti, Group Director of The Fair / WeGroup, said: “On site colleagues are family to us, and this close community culture is something we feel should be celebrated. Against the backdrop of challenges being faced across the events sector, we wanted to highlight the hard work that goes into what we do, and why festivals are vital for society. We’ve fought some tough battles over the years, but again, the industry must rally together to save what we love most.”

Launching the documentary online, The Fair team posted: ‘It is with IMMENSE excitement that we release our festival documentary, ‘It Takes A Village’, into the world.

‘The Fair’s festival production team was followed around on site at a wide range of events over the summer of 2023. And, from lighting strikes to rail strikes, it was a season filled with challenges…

‘But these challenges are exactly what we wanted to highlight in this short film. As an industry, we all work tirelessly to bring these events to life, something which we should be celebrating more often. We hope that shining a light on our amazing industry will show exactly why the festival sector not only deserves more support, but needs it – now more than ever.

‘One in six UK festivals that were around in 2019 were no longer around in 2023. Already, more have been lost in 2024, which is why we are supporting campaigns such as AIF’s ‘Five Percent For Festivals’, calling for a temporary VAT cut on ticket sales, in a bid to avoid saying more goodbyes.

‘In this industry, and across the sector, we all have the same goal: to build incredible events that create unforgettable experiences and lasting memories for people. Festival culture is simply too precious to lose – for society and for our economy. Please share it with loved ones and spread the word, to keep festivals thriving.’

The documentary is now available to view on YouTube and The Fair website.