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8 hours ago
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Staff at some of the UK’s biggest music festivals are working in “brutal” conditions, according to research.
Crew members, including sound engineers and behind-the-scenes production staff, were asked to work 18-hour days, some suffered heatstroke, others slept on floors and had to use toilet facilities that were overflowing. In some cases the crew camp areas had no access to drinking water.
A report from the performing arts union Bectu, which collated the experiences of 100 music festival workers, found about half of the respondents said they felt unsafe at work, while a third had experienced a risk to their physical safety.
The Bectu head, Philippa Childs, said that at the moment festivals felt like the “wild west” in terms of safety and working conditions, with some organisations using the seasonal work’s reputation as being “fun and fast” to avoid meeting basic standards.
“I’m used to hearing about difficult working conditions from across the creative industries, but some of this is extremely concerning,” she said.
The current environment for the music festival sector is challenging. Last year 78 music festivals either cancelled or postponed, according to figures from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
While the biggest festivals can sell out in minutes, smaller organisations are folding at an unprecedented rate. Many cited the same reasons: rising supply chain costs, debts incurred during the Covid pandemic and slower ticket sales, stymied further by the cost of living crisis.
The AIF said 36 festivals either folded completely or were postponed in 2023, adding to the 100 events that have disappeared since the peak in 2019, when there were 600 live music festivals in the UK. The situation was so challenging that some suggested the UK might lose its position as “live music leader” unless the situation was addressed.
AIF estimates that the sector could lose between 40 and 50 festivals in 2025.
Childs said there seemed to be a direct link between the financial pressure some festivals were under and the safety and sanitation concerns workers had reported.
“Pre-pandemic the number of festivals was only going in one direction, more days, more work, and lots of people were keen to attend. Post-pandemic festivals have struggled,” she said.
“I do have sympathy, but fundamental health and safety issues have got to be addressed and shouldn’t form a huge cost, they should actually be part of running a great festival.”
Bectu has called for there to be more focus on how crew members – who work on everything from construction, sound, lighting and production to rigging and stage management – can be properly supported.
“I’d like this to be a wake-up call to those who are planning festivals to say, the crew are at least as important as the musicians and the acts who are appearing and there needs to be a much more holistic approach to supporting everyone,” she said.
“People enjoy working in festivals, particularly if they like music, but some fundamental structure around people’s safety and sanitation are crucial. Staff are happy to work long hours, knowing they can take time off after, but 18- to 20-hour days is too much.”
The AIF CEO, John Rostron, said: “These conditions aren’t ones we recognise or condone at AIF. Festival freelancers are the largest part of our workforce – so we’re very attuned to their needs and problems. We always want to offer ways to help support this valued part of our sector.”
