Written evidence submitted by LIVE CIC

Future of UK Music Festivals

Call for Evidence

From Watchet LIVE CIC

Watchet LIVE Community interest Company are a volunteer lead group based in Watchet West and stage and organise a community lead music festival to bring diversity and performing acts not normally found in the local area. All evidence is based on our own festival:-

The Economic impact on staging our festival in the local area is valued at over a million pound to the town of Watchet, from local shops, restaurants, campsite, taxi services , hotels and accommodation outlets all benefiting from the event being held annually. Culturally being in rural , the festival has gain cultural recognition to the the local population with bringing and introducing world music to the area, and offering local bands the options to performing front of large crowds on professional sound systems. Plus the success of the festival has shown many in the area what can be done with ambition and dedication against the odds and numerous obstacles put in our way.

The impact of not holding the 2020 Watchet festival has been detrimental to the local economy as mentioned in the above paragraph, plus effecting the festival supply chain contractors, from staging, artist, infrastructure suppliers. All suppliers are kept local as possible to promote local trades. A few examples of local businesses effected, a local builders merchants used to cross hire fencing, trackway and mobile plant from were effected by approx £30,000 hire alone in the month of August, The local butcher commented that his busiest weekend after Christmas was festival weekend with the extra people in the town due to the festival.

The risk of not being able to stage our festival in 2021 would leave the CIC in a very difficult financial position with the loss of deposits paid to contractors who may go out of business, us being unable to roll bookings further forward again foe another year. If Watchet LIVE CIV was to fold this would effect numerous other community events held by the group, which are financed by staging Watchet Music festival.

Watchet festival would not be financially viable to hold with less than 75% capacity and the lifting of the mass gathering restrictions ( event capacity 5000) would be needed to sage guard the events future.

There has been no impact to the events future with the VAT cut as we have not been promoting our next festival with so much uncertainty and we received nothing from the Culture recovery fund.

The UK festival market has evolved at a fast pace with possible far too many cooperate run festivals suffocating the grass roots independent festivals, who operate on smaller budgets and capacity. The future of grass roots music festivals safe guards the future of new musical talent in the UK by giving them a platform to perform on.

Festivals need better support from the local police force to work with organisers to help reduce the dangers of illegal drugs, festivals are tarnished with this issues which truthfully isn't the always case we work closely with our local police force who use the festival as a public relation exercise working closely with our own on site security company. High lighting drink drug awarness via our welfare workshops on site and information in the event programme.

Mark Bale , Watchet LIVE CIC