Max SteventonBristol Beacon, a Grade II listed venue, has opened applications for the Festival & Carnival Lab 2026 programme, which helps tackle the diversity gap in UK live events.
The programme, which won the DEI award at the recent Access All Areas Awards, is open to Black creatives aged 18-35 who are looking to get into or further progress in the industry.
Festival Lab offers expert-led training and paid placements at major UK festivals. These include Boomtown, Simple Things Festival and Shambala.
The 2026 Bristol programme, now in its second year, runs from March to May. The eight-week programme covers logistics, event management, health and safety, technical production and more.
Festival & Carnival Lab was founded in 2023 by events company Continental Drifts, Pax Nindi (Global Carnivalz) and events professional Andrea Mahoney. Mahoney will lead the Bristol programme acting as creative skills and studios manager at Bristol Beacon.
“Festival Lab is about skills, of course”, said Mahoney. “But it’s also about building confidence, cultural pride and community. We want our participants to feel they belong in this industry – and that they can lead within it.”
Bristol Beacon CEO Simon Wales said, “We’re proud to deliver Festival Lab as part of our commitment to nurturing the region’s creative industries and championing the next generation of Black event professionals.
“The statistics show that diversity behind the scenes is lagging behind that of the artists on our stages and the audiences we serve. Festival Lab is changing that – and the team have built a fantastic programme which helps participants unlock their potential and access the industry.”