Stuart WoodThe Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has announced that its annual Festival Congress will take place in Sheffield on November 6 – 7 this year.
The AIF is a representative body for festivals in the UK. The Festival Congress has become a major fixture in the industry calendar, attracting over 400 delegates each year.
This year’s event will be held in Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, while the Independent Festival Awards will take place at 92 Burton Road – a warehouse venue that is well known for its Peddler Night Market events.
The Festival Congress offers networking opportunities as well as a platform for industry discussion via a progressive format, including TEDx style talks, interactive workshops and fireside chats with leading industry experts.
AIF CEO Paul Reed said: “The AIF team is excited to bring its Festival Congress to Sheffield this year, as it’s a fantastic festival city. The event is now a firm fixture for the independent festival community.
“This is the fifth year of the Festival Congress and the 10thanniversary of AIF – it promises to be a memorable one.”
The programme will include Kaye Dunnings, creative director at Shangri-la, Glastonbury, as well as founding member of Cabaret Voltaire Stephen Malliner, who will talk about his musical journey as well as Sheffield’s history of post-punk and industrial music.
Building on AIF’s recent Drastic on Plastic campaign, the event will have an ‘Under the Sea’ theme, reflecting the global single-use plastic crisis.