Pushing the limits of sustainability
WE LOVE GREEN is a great example of what happens when a festival starts thinking about sustainability from the outset. As a self-proclaimed “laboratory for sustainable development solutions in the live entertainment and events industries,” everyone involved in the festival develops and tests eco-friendly solutions.
YOUROPE’s Katharina Weber talked to the festival’s head of sustainability Marianne Hocquard and head of engaged content Marie de La Giraudière to find out how WE LOVE GREEN successfully integrates all people involved with bringing the event to life, why it’s important to consider impacts beyond carbon emissions, and the advice they can give people who are new to sustainability.
How is WE LOVE GREEN’s ‘living laboratory’ approach incorporated into your everyday production life?
Marianne Hocquard: Sustainability is at the heart of our production. The sustainability work at WE LOVE GREEN is a collective effort, running through each department: management, production, partnerships, communication, artistic programming, and content management. It’s overseen by a dedicated team, which grows stronger every year. Starting with a sustainability coordinator at the festival’s creation in 2011, the sustainability department now has four people working year-round. This substantial payroll represents the festival’s primary expense related to sustainability and is the foremost indicator of its commitment. This is a significant specificity, particularly for a festival that is independent and associative.
What was the idea behind creating charters for all the different participant groups in your festival?
Marie de La Giraudière: Charters are essential: the production of the event involves a wide variety of stakeholders who are responsible for the setup, operation, and life of the festival. Organising and producing an event is a collective adventure. Since 2011, these charters have evolved to become more specific and suitable to the activities of each part of the festival. Today, there are charters for suppliers, artists, restaurants, volunteers, partners, and even festival-goers, who are required to sign their charter when buying tickets.
What’s in the charters?
MH: They contain the principles behind the festival’s policies, such as no single-use plastics, eco-certified products, waste sorting, water conservation, vegetarian catering, encouraging collaboration with local organisations, and so on. Beyond the charters, in 2023, we integrated binding sustainable development clauses directly into contracts: for example, clauses in artist contracts specifying maximum electrical power consumption in kWh per stage; and clauses in service provider contracts requiring them to complete the carbon assessment questionnaire to receive payment for their services after the festival.
How hard is it to get people to sign these requirements?
MH: Signing the charters happens quite naturally, primarily because our stakeholders are familiar with our festival and its commitments. Moreover, a charter remains a rather indicative document, without real contractual value, constraints, or obligations. However, the addition of contractual clauses led to more discussions; for example, the transition to 100% vegetarian artist catering, and the stipulations on maximum electrical power consumption or sound levels. But we are taking things gradually and provide comprehensive support, for example, by proposing production alternatives with less energy-intensive equipment and by developing vegetarian menus for restaurants with the creation of a specific recipe creation tool.
“Our carbon footprint has increased over the years due to the festival’s growth and the expansion of our calculation scope”
How has your carbon footprint developed over the years?
MH: Our carbon footprint has increased over the years due to the festival’s growth and the expansion of our calculation scope; for example, since 2022, we’ve been including festivalgoers’ accommodation in the calculation. A lack of complete data is also a critical factor because it leads to extrapolations, which can result in overestimations or underestimations of results. However, with comparable scopes in 2022 and 2023, the festival’s carbon footprint has decreased from 1,690 tonnes to approximately 800 tonnes CO2e, although the 2023 number isn’t final yet.
What led to this significant reduction?
MH: Primarily, it was about improved data collection. For example, in inputs, service providers’ freight, and artist travel, which limited extrapolations and overestimation, along with the shift to 100% vegetarian catering and a more domestic lineup attracting local audiences.
Why is it important to measure your carbon footprint?
MH: The carbon footprint is an accessible and proven monitoring tool for quantifying our carbon footprint, understanding it, and identifying areas for reduction. It allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our actions by comparing results year-on-year. It’s a complex and time-consuming exercise as it requires collecting data from artists, suppliers, audience, and team, but this also means that it engages everyone in reducing their carbon impact. Still, it’s important to remember that a carbon footprint it is not comprehensive in assessing a festival’s total environmental impact. There is a need to complement it with other impact measurement tools.
One such complement would be the impact study on local biodiversity you did in 2022. What was the result?
MH: We conducted a preliminary small-scale study on our impact on biodiversity by targeting three bird species in collaboration with the League for the Protection of Birds. We found that the impact during the setup, which is related to the transport of materials, is just as significant as the impact during the event itself, which is related to sound and light peaks.
Are you planning any follow-up research to expand on this?
MH: Yes, we are planning an impact study that is unprecedented for an outdoor event and whose results we will turn into a practical guide for the industry. In partnership with the National Museum of Natural History, we will measure and objectively assess WE LOVE GREEN’s impact on the site’s wildlife and flora biodiversity and its surroundings over three years from autumn 2023. Protocols will be established to measure pressures and impacts on several animal and plant species, including counts, sound recordings, and GPS tracking. The project will also consider the positive impact of an outdoor event on reconnecting with nature.
“We collaborate with other European festivals to pool offers thereby creating a coherent tour routing while minimising distances between dates”
Do you have a no-fly policy or a no-private-jet policy for your acts?
MH: At the moment, it’s challenging for a festival of our size to mandate such requirements. However, we do a number of things to reduce artists’ travel footprint. We collaborate with other European festivals to pool offers thereby creating a coherent tour routing while minimising distances between dates. This year, we helped production teams to avoid air travel by proposing train alternatives, and we covered the costs of these journeys. Two artistic teams – a total of 20 people – chose the train over flying to or from the festival (one from Biarritz, the other to London). It’s a small victory that demonstrates that with guidance and explanation, we can achieve results and gradually change the habits of certain productions and artists.
How does your sustainability work affect your finances?
MdLG: We’ve calculated that sustainable energy, water, and dry-toilet choices in eco-responsible production cost the festival approximately 30% more than conventional providers and sometimes up to six times more for certain actions such as hosting committed associations and companies, supplying reusable tableware, diversifying the energy mix with solar panels and green hydrogen, having a year-round sustainability team, and so on.
Looking back at all the things you’ve tested over the years, what’s the craziest thing you’ve tried that still worked?
MdLG: The transition to 100% vegetarian this year, as the first major French festival to do so, was a challenge. We had to support the restaurants to offer a varied menu that might differ from their usual practices, and we also needed to ensure it was well-received by our diverse audience, artists, and teams. In the end, it went very well on both fronts, thanks to the dedication of our teams and the openness of festivalgoers to this topic. The operation was a success and will certainly be continued. This transition reduced the festival’s carbon food footprint by a factor of six compared to 2022, from 301 to 48 tonnes CO2e.
You also somehow manage to store the food of all 50 festival restaurants in only five refrigerated trucks…
MdGL: The logistics of that are definitely a challenge, but we have met it each year since 2017. This involves coordinating pickups from 50 different restaurants, managing the storage of their supplies while meeting operational requirements for speed, traceability, and security onsite. It’s a success that allows us to keep the impact of transportation and energy consumption in check in this aspect of production.
Was there anything you’ve tried that didn’t work at all?
MH: The adoption of compostable tableware for our public food court. These containers are meant to be composted or digested into methane. However, following an in-depth study involving the local authorities and several waste management providers, the festival’s teams realised that this wasn’t necessarily the case. The problem was that much so-called “compostable” tableware contains a layer of bioplastic (PLA) that degrades only over a very long time, hindering the compostability of the entire waste stream, so waste-processing platforms reject these containers. Also, most providers couldn’t handle the high volumes of waste produced at a large-scale festival. This is why we decided to supply reusable tableware instead.
“Don’t view sustainability as a constraint but as an opportunity to foster creativity and engagement for everyone”
Starting to work on sustainability can be hard because it’s such a huge field (if you’ll pardon the pun). What advice would you give festivals that don’t know where to start?
MH: 1. Start by making a ‘state of play’ of your festival, its practices, and note what could be considered an initiative related to sustainability. 2. Identify initiatives to enhance the festival’s sustainability and prioritise them. Keep in mind that you can’t do everything all at once; take a gradual approach by focusing on one or two areas and one or two actions each year. 3. Implement performance tracking and monitoring indicators for these actions. 4. Establish a dialogue process among the different festival teams to address sticking points and potential areas for improvement. 5. Above all, don’t view sustainability as a constraint but as an opportunity to foster creativity and engagement for everyone.
How can the small number of sustainability trailblazers in Europe help reach the large majority of festivals?
MdLG: By establishing methods, guidelines, and sharing acquired information and experiences, all while being supported by public authorities. This collaborative approach is at the forefront of sustainable festival development. At every opportunity, we share our experiences during conferences and professional events, both in France and internationally. Naturally, we respond to direct requests for information and guidance. Due to the increasing demand, we are currently developing specialised training modules for festivals and events looking to embark on the path of sustainability.
Would more regulations help or hinder sustainable development?
MdLG: We believe it is crucial for public authorities to take a proactive stance on this issue by implementing incentive mechanisms and even introducing eco-conditionality for financial support.
What’s WE LOVE GREEN’s next big target in sustainability?
MH: We already mentioned the biodiversity study, which will be the central focus of our eco-responsibility efforts for our next edition. In parallel, we will measure our festival’s impact on biodiversity at a global level. Just as we translate our impacts into CO2e emissions, we aim to provide translations in terms of biodiversity. For example, the shift to 100% vegetarian food has implications not only in terms of reducing CO2 emissions but also in preserving wildlife and flora, as well as preventing soil degradation. To date, these calculations do not exist in the event industry, and we aim to develop them.
This interview appears in the European Festival Report 2023, out this month.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Concerts cancelled due to France riots
A number of concerts and festivals in France have been cancelled as a result of the ongoing riots in Paris.
More than 3,200 arrests have been made amid violent protests and looting sparked by the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy by police during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb last Tuesday (27 June).
The biggest events to be called off for security reasons were Mylène Farmer’s two nights at the 90,000-cap Stade de France, which were due to take place on 30 June and 1 July.
“Circumstances forced us to cancel the two concerts at Stade de France,” says producer Thierry Suc. “All the teams are looking for the best opportunities to try and find new dates and propose solutions, even if each new day remains an unknown.”
We Love Green and Yard’s Yardland festival at the Parc de Choisy in Paris also fell by the wayside. The 1-2 July event was to have showcased acts such as Metro Boomin, Tayc, Ayra Starr, Omah Lay and Kaaris.
The violence in Paris appeared to be subsiding yesterday following four days of unrest
“We have no choice but to follow and respect this decision,” says a statement by organisers. “We would like to thank everyone involved in this project, especially the teams on site.
“A big thank you to the 33,000 people who had taken their tickets for this first edition. We will get back to you very quickly for the terms of reimbursement. We’re packing up for this year, but we’ll be back. Once again take care of yourself, let’s protect each other.”
French chain store Fnac also cancelled the final night of its Fnac Live Paris festival, which was set to feature Aime Simone, Hervé and Selah Sue.
The violence in Paris appeared to be subsiding yesterday (2 July) following four days of unrest. The number of arrests fell from 700 on Saturday to 150 last night, with 45,000 officers deployed across France for the past three nights.
At the weekend, the family of Nahel M, the teenager killed by police, called for an end to the violence.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Green Guardians: Power
The Green Guardians Guide, spearheaded by the Green Events and Innovations Conference and IQ Magazine, is a new yearly iniative highlighting some of the work being done around the world to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
The inaugural list features 60 entries across ten categories, selected by the Green Guardians committes, which includes representatives from some of the sector’s most respected bodies, such as A Greener Festival, Go Group, Green Music Initiative, Julie’s Bicycle and Vision:2025.
Following on from last week’s feature on those providing environmentally friendly food and beverage options at events, this edition of Green Guardians looks at those ensuring events are powered in a sustainable way.
Power
Midas
Midas recognised during the early stages of its development, that in order to respond to client demands and requirements, it should own the machinery itself.
Investment in plant is one of the company’s main annual expenditures, and to complement its fleet, Midas stocks large quantities of mains cable and distribution products, and can cater to both the UK’s smallest events and to its most prestigious festivals.
As part of its services, Midas offers full site design, often working to very tight timescales and budgetary demands, sometimes in the most challenging and sensitive locations around the UK.
Midas sees all contracts as bespoke by nature and therefore treats them accordingly in order to deliver efficient, reliable and, above all, safe electrical systems.
Operations range from optimised generator sizing, to avoid plant running inefficiently, to road haulage and logistics. The Midas aim is to deliver cost-effective solutions to festival power hire clients, whilst at all times minimising the impact on the environment.
Midas sees all contracts as bespoke by nature and therefore treats them accordingly in order to deliver efficient, reliable and safe electrical systems
MHM
MHM was incorporated in early 2010 as a supplier of power generation, solar-hybrid generators, fluid storage, lighting towers, engine drive welders and product-related accessories to the UK and Irish rental markets for both purchase and rehire. The company has been awarded the prestigious SafeHire certification quality mark, which is governed by Hire Association Europe.
All MHM products are manufactured in a purpose-built facility based near Milan, Italy, that has individually designed production lines that produce the MHM range of equipment swiftly and efficiently, without compromising on quality or safety.
In keeping with modern-day requirements, MHM places particular emphasis on environmental considerations as it develops its product range. Examples for this progression include the increasing use of hybrid technology, LED lighting, solar power, clean fluid storage and emission-efficient diesel engines.
MHM undertakes to pursue the use of renewables to power their equipment wherever and whenever possible.
MHM undertakes to pursue the use of renewables to power their equipment wherever and whenever possible
Immersa Off Grid
Immersa Off Grid is a sister company to Immersa Ltd, which provides energy consumers, large and small, with bespoke energy solutions, utilising renewable energy generation and storage.
Immersa Off Grid focuses on the deployment of renewable energy and storage to festivals and events, principally on a rental/leasing basis, with the goal of replacing existing dirty/expensive equipment and infrastructure, such as diesel generators with clean alternatives, including temporary solar arrays with battery storage.
The use of solar and battery storage in concession-stand vehicles has a direct positive impact, as there is no diesel generator running to power the vehicle, meaning no noise and no exhaust fumes. This has an easily definable impact on people working in the vehicle, and everybody who visits it.
If all such concession stands at an event were powered in the same way this would have a huge effect on the localised environment and would be of great benefit to all those attending.
The use of solar and battery storage in concession-stand vehicles has a direct positive impact
Greener
Greener was founded in January 2018, in order to make an impact on the carbon dioxide footprint of on- and off-grid energy markets, using mobile batteries and smart energy planning.
The idea emerged in 2014, after a backstage visit to one of the biggest festivals in The Netherlands. Greener’s founders were shocked to discover how little thought had gone into accurately and efficiently planning the power supply of equipment such as lights, audio and food trucks.
As they investigated further, they saw the same lack of planning for energy efficiency in other areas, like construction sites and grid maintenance. Instead, all they could see was unnecessarily massive equipment running on very low efficiency rates – a situation they felt compelled to change.
The people behind Greener are convinced that there are many opportunities to make practices in the energy sector less of a burden on the environment. The company sees solutions in technological innovation and it is bringing these to the market to make our world greener.
The people behind Greener are convinced that there are many opportunities to make practices in the energy sector less of a burden on the environment
Wattsun
In the event, construction and film sector, more than 100 million litres of fuel are burned per year. This is associated with pollution, noise, odour and high costs. With the threat of climate change that we, as individuals, can no longer close our eyes to, organisations are being held increasingly responsible for pollution. Wattsun pop-up Power was established to help address this.
In 2015, Wattsun began the development of its portable battery systems and several prototypes were built that ultimately led to the current Wattsun products for which it has obtained a worldwide patent.
The Wattsun is extremely user-friendly. Thanks to the intuitive design and simplicity of operation, anyone, even without technical knowledge, can operate the system. The design immediately gives the user the idea that the modules are stackable and no matter how the module is stacked, clockwise or counter-clockwise, it always works, while the loading and unloading programme is automated in such a way that the user does not have to think about charging and discharging.
In the event, construction and film sector, more than 100 million litres of fuel are burned per year
We Love Green Festival
Having decided to create a music festival with a prominent focus on environmental issues, We Love Green organisers really had to start from scratch.
The festival site, located in Bois de Vincennes forest in Paris, is not supplied with electricity, so organisers had to find innovative energy solutions. Solar panels were installed onsite and despite the technology only being available in the UK at the time, they have since managed to source French, local providers willing to bring solar energy to temporary events.
We Love Green now uses 100% renewable energy powered by biofuel generators that use 100% French-produced rapeseed biofuel; and green hydrogen, which is produced in Paris with electricity from a wind farm.
“Rethinking” is We Love Green’s key strategy, according to co-founder Marie Sabot. “You have to rethink your way of doing things: you have to rethink design, rethink organisation, rethink implementation. We have to readjust ourselves to prioritise the health of our planet and its ecosystems.”
“We have to readjust ourselves to prioritise the health of our planet and its ecosystems”
Power Logistics
Power Logistics is a global leader in the provision of temporary events power, with a customer-focused service and respected track record that spans two decades.
The company’s logistical and electrical safety records are exemplary, and they also provide services within permanent venues as well as temporary, green-field events. It maintains a whole host of equipment and services in-house, from a fleet of dedicated event generators suitable for use with biodiesel, to an extensive stock of mains cabling, distribution and lighting equipment. In addition, it also has the facilities and expertise to fabricate new products, as well as adapting existing equipment to meet a client’s specific requirements.
Being energy efficient is at the forefront of everything the company does. It continually investigates new and alternative methods to make events as carbon efficient as possible. Sustainable solutions and reducing impact on the environment are key to ensuring Power Logistics’ business is both efficient and cost effective for its clients.
Power Logistics is a global leader in the provision of temporary events power
ZAP Concepts
ZAP Concepts offer consultancy in energy and sustainability; specialising in energy assessment, measurement and logging, together with the design of optimal power supplies for live events, through the use of its unique and internationally awarded Smart Power Plan.
The company not only accurately manages power at festivals and events, it is also active in the field of energy consultancy for both indoor and outdoor venues and public and private land-owners. The organisation designs and specifies permanent grid power connections for sites, based on the power needs of the different events that take place there, reducing or removing the need for temporary generators.
ZAP also works with developers of innovative energy systems by offering coaching and executive support. In addition to providing practical advice, it can also form the bridge between the technical developers of these systems and producers of festivals and events to achieve successful pilot schemes.
Continue reading this feature in the digital edition of IQ 90, or subscribe to the magazine here
European festivals unite to create greener future
A collective of festivals and non-governmental organisations have launched Green Europe Experience (GEX), an initiative working to create a more eco-friendly future for music and arts festivals.
Portugal’s Boom Festival, Dour Festival in Belgium, Pohoda Festival in Slovakia and French event We Love Green have teamed up with sustainability groups A Greener Festival (AGF) in the UK and Germany’s Go Group in Germany as the co-initiators of GEX.
“In the middle of these demanding times, we feel an even stronger urge to use this special moment in history to take a deep breath and work towards healing our connection with this planet,” reads a statement from GEX initiators. “We understand that the big challenges ahead can only be addressed in a co-creation process.”
Using the two main focal points of scenography – festival decor, artwork, installations, design and signage – and food, GEX will work on developing ways to allow festivals to become fully circular through a process of implementation and review.
“We understand that the big challenges ahead can only be addressed in a co-creation process”
The project will take place over a period of three years, with the first year dedicated to minimising the ecological impact of scenography and the second focusing on food.
All findings will be shared with the teams of the festivals involved, local suppliers and stakeholders. A manual will be drawn up and distributed for the use of the wider festival and events industry.
“The GEX project brings together some of the most visionary organisations in this space to act as a catalyst to collectively accelerate the positive changes we need to make,” comments AGF co-founder and director Claire O’Neill.
“We look forward to exploring, learning and sharing ways for creative expression and precious social interaction that puts people and the planet at the forefront.”
GEX is co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Lana Del Rey cancels upcoming European tour
Lana Del Rey has called off upcoming arena dates in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, in the latest in a series of high-profile acts to see tours hampered by illness.
The Primary Talent-repped singer was set to perform a run of dates starting tomorrow (21 February) at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, and visiting the Accorhotels Arena in Paris, London’s O2 Arena, Manchester Arena, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Birmingham Resorts World Arena, Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena, before finishing at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne on 3 March. A ninth arena date is set for Italy’s Arena Di Verona in June, which is still going ahead.
The star is also due to make appearances at We Love Green Festival in Paris, Primavera Sound Barcelona and its Portuguese sister event, Nos Primavera Sound Porto in June. Last week, Glastonbury Festival director Emily Eavis announced that Lana Del Rey would also perform on the festival’s Pyramid stage this summer.
“It’s with regret that Lana Del Rey has announced that she has been forced to cancel her entire upcoming EU/UK tour due to illness”
The O2 Arena broke the news earlier this morning (20 February), stating: “It’s with regret that Lana Del Rey has announced that she has been forced to cancel her entire upcoming EU/UK tour due to illness.”
The singer released her own statement, apologising for the cancellation, saying, “Sorry to let everyone down so last minute but this illness has taken me by surprise and have totally lost my singing voice. Dr has advised 4 weeks off for the moment. I hate to let everyone down but I need to get well.”
Fans are advised to contact their original point of purchase for refund enquiries.
Photo: Beatriz Alvani/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) (cropped)
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Greener Festival Award 2016 winners
Portugal event Boom Festival and We Love Green in France have been named ‘Outstanding’ as 2016 winners of the Greener Festival Award, with Glastonbury and Green Music Fest (USA) also amongst honourees.
All 25 winners of the accolade were revealed last week at Eurosonic Noorderslag in partnership with the Green Event Netherlands. It’s the first events to receive the award since its relaunch last year.
To participate, festivals are required to complete a self-assessment looking at 11 categories of sustainability including travel & transport, waste, local ecosystems and external reach and behaviour. Independent AGF Auditors visit the event to inspect the actions on the ground, and work with the organisers post event to gather supporting evidence and data.
“Events who have achieved the Greener Festival Award 2016 have shown an incredible dedication to walking the talk, minimising the environmental impact of their events and using them as a positive and much needed portal for change.”
Co-Founder of AGF, Claire O’Neill, said: “Events who have achieved the Greener Festival Award 2016 have shown an incredible dedication to walking the talk, minimising the environmental impact of their events and using them as a positive and much needed portal for change. It has not at all been easy, with the most challenging assessments to face events in our 10 year history. We salute all of you!”
An insight to what these events are doing, and what is on the horizon for sustainable events, will be presented at the 9th annual Green Events & Innovations Conference in London on 7 March, in association with the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
André Soares, sustainability designer of Boom Festival, said: “Boom Festival 2016 was a great personal challenge and this award means more than you can imagine. I appreciate all the work [A Greener Festival] have done to increment the evaluation criteria and I believe the results of your work will have a lasting impact in the music and festival industry.”
“Boom is totally independent, no sponsors, and engaging in sustainability is made strictly with our own resources and an amazing contribution of our fabulous Boomers.”
Artur Mendes, manager of Boom Festival, added: “Boom is totally independent, no sponsors, and engaging in sustainability is made strictly with our own resources and an amazing contribution of our fabulous Boomers. On the other hand, we are using the Boom experience to reforest the Boomland and act on many fronts such as charity, on the integration of people, and positively affect the surrounding area of the festival which is one of the poorest in Portugal with unemployment rate of 16% and more than 50% pensioners. We dedicate this award to all Boomers.”
Appearing in the Highly Commended category were Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), DGTL Festival (Netherlands), Glastonbury Festival (UK), Green Music Fest (USA), Heart of Glass Heart of Gold (France), Øya Festival (Norway) and Welcome to the Future (Netherlands). Check out the full list of winners below.
OUTSTANDING
Boom Festival (Portugal)
We Love Green (France)
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)
DGTL Festival (Netherlands)
Glastonbury Festival (UK)
Green Music Fest (USA)
Heart of Glass Heart of Gold (France)
Øya Festival (Norway)
Welcome to the Future (Netherlands)
COMMENDED
Bona Nit Barcelona (Spain)
Das Fest (Germany)
Extrema Outdoors (Netherlands)
Greenbelt Festival (UK)
Kew the Music (UK)
Liberation Festival (Netherlands)
Malmofestivalen (Sweden)
Northside Festival (Denmark)
Primavera Sound (Spain)
Wood Festival (UK)
IMPROVERS
Arla Food Fest (Denmark)
Body & Soul (Eire)
LaSemo (Belgium)
Metal Days (Slovenia)
Nozstock: the Hidden Valley (UK)
Paradise City (Belgium)
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.