How to Start a Festival

EVENT PLANNING GUIDE

How to Start a Festival

Updated on September 29, 2026 | Written by Rachella Thomas

“I've got an idea for a festival. Should I actually do this?”

I've spent more than 26 years working in major events and festivals, and before that, three years studying events. So I'll start this guide with an inconvenient truth: I can't teach you how to produce a festival in a single article. Too many moving parts, too many variables, and too much knowledge comes from actually doing the work.

What I can do is give you a few things I'd want you to think about before you get too far into the exciting part. Because yes, coming up with a festival idea is relatively easy. The challenge begins when you work out whether you can actually deliver it.

A festival doesn't fail because the idea wasn't good enough. It fails because nobody planned for how long it will take to grow, and for what happens when the idea actually works.

So, before you get too excited and start booking performers, designing posters or announcing dates, take a moment and start here. I’ve got a few words of sobering mentoring advice to share.

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“A festival doesn't fail because the idea wasn't good enough. It fails because nobody planned for what happens when the idea actually works.” — Rachella, Founder of Event Kit

1. Decide How Big This Festival Really Needs to Be

This is your starting point. Not “How big could this become one day?”

How big should the first one be?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting small. In fact, it’s better.

Scale changes almost everything: infrastructure, staffing, security, toilets, traffic, waste, medical provision, production, communications and the amount of money at risk. The bigger the festival, the more challenging, expensive, and risky it becomes. So it’s always better to start small and manageable, and grow from that solid base.

When starting a festival, look at the resources you actually have right now.

How much money can you realistically access for this first event? How much money can you realistically afford to lose in this first event? How much time can you give (probably for no pay)? Who will do the work? What event-planning experience does the team have? What infrastructure does the site require?

Create a realistic picture of what the first festival will look like. Then build the festival around those resources rather than designing the dream version first and discovering later that you can't afford to deliver it properly.

You can always make Festival No. 2 bigger.

For now, focus on getting Festival No. 1 safely and successfully through the gates.

2. Work Out Where the Money Comes From Before You Spend It

Ok, so I touched on money already. Let’s dig into it, because festivals can burn through money remarkably quickly.

Start building the festival budget early and be conservative about income you don't yet have.

A stage is never just a stage. Stage costs also include audio, lighting, power, technicians, transport, installation, and crew. A park doesn't miraculously become a festival site. It probably needs fencing, toilets, security, waste services, temporary infrastructure, signage, first aid and traffic management.

And that's before you've put anything interesting on it.

Ticket sales, sponsorship, grants, stallholder fees and other revenue can all form part of the model, but anticipated income isn't the same thing as money already in the bank. I'd want to know what the festival costs to deliver, what you have to commit before revenue is certain, and what happens financially if attendance isn't what you hoped.

Festivals are exceptionally expensive events, and outdoor festivals come with the added risk of cancellation or early shutdown due to inclement weather. Think about how much it will cost to close early, and read our guide to help you plan for the weather risks of an outdoor event.

A good festival idea needs a financial plan to get you through the first years, when you’ll likely have more costs than revenue.

3. Choose the Site With Operations in Mind

It's very easy to fall in love with a potential festival site because it looks fantastic.

You start dreaming about the atmosphere and the buzz, but are you thinking about the logistics?

Where does the stage go? Where does the power come from? How do suppliers get in? Where do emergency vehicles access the site? Where are the toilets? What happens when thousands of people arrive at once? Where does the rubbish go? What happens if it rains?

Assess the site as an event producer, not as an audience member.

Imagine it full with equipment and people. Imagine delivery vehicles arriving while you're trying to build it. Imagine everyone leaving at once. Imagine something going wrong at the furthest point from Event Control.

A beautiful site can create ugly operational problems, so use an outdoor venue selection audit checklist to cover all the logistics.

4. Plan for the Crowd You Want, Not the Crowd You Have Today

When you're starting a festival, it's tempting to focus only on getting MORE people to come.

I often sit in meetings and hear my clients talk for hours about strategies to sell more tickets and get more people through the gate.

But if you’re starting a festival, you also need to plan for what happens if they do.

If your marketing works and the site fills, can people enter efficiently? Can they move around comfortably? Can they buy food and drinks without ridiculous queues? Are there enough toilets? Can your team communicate across the site? Can you respond properly if someone needs help?

That's where that line comes back:

A festival doesn't fail because the idea wasn't good enough. It fails because nobody planned for what happens when the idea actually works.

Don't build your operational plan around the hope that attendance will be manageable. Build the festival site around the attendance you're planning to attract. For more info, read our guide about crowd control as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated risks in event planning.

5. Understand How Much Planning Sits Behind the Festival

The audience sees stages, food, music, performers, installations, market stalls, bars and crowds having a good time. What they don’t see is the months (or sometimes years) of unglamorous planning behind it.

Budgets. Site plans. Production schedules. Supplier management. Risk assessments. Staffing. Traffic. Waste. Accessibility. Communications. Emergency planning. Permits and approvals. Run sheets. Contingencies. Pack-in. Pack-out.

What your festival needs depends on its size, format, location, and local requirements, but the same principle always applies — the larger and more complex the festival, the more important the planning system behind it.

Don't rely on one enormous to-do list and a heroic amount of memory. Build the structure first, and start a festival you can successfully manage.

So, Should You Start a Festival?

Maybe. Maybe not.

If you have a strong idea, understand who it's for and are prepared to build something at a scale you can genuinely resource, absolutely explore it. But don't confuse enthusiasm for the idea with readiness to produce it. It’s OK to do the scoping and feasibility work and then decide you’re not ready, willing, or able.

Start by working out what you can responsibly afford to create — in money, time, people and expertise.

You don't need to know everything before you begin. But you do need an event planning framework that shows you what to consider, especially when you don't yet have the experience to know what you might be missing. And that's exactly why I created the Festivals & Community Events Kit.

I’ve mentored so many people who want to start their own festival, and it was clear they needed help. I've taken the planning structure and knowledge I've built over decades of producing events and put it into the documents themselves: what to consider, what to ask, what to record, and what needs to happen next.

It's about as close as I can get to sitting beside you while you plan the thing.

→ If you found this useful, feel free to share it with a fellow event planner or your event network. They’ll appreciate you passing it on.

Want to get a copy of the same tools I’ve used to plan and deliver award-winning festivals? Download them instantly in the Festivals Kit.

You don't need to know everything before you begin. But you do need an event planning framework that shows you what to consider, especially when you don't yet have the experience to know what you might be missing. And that's exactly why I created the Festivals & Community Events Kit.

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Meet Your Mentor

Rachella Thomas is an award-winning event producer with more than 26 years of experience delivering major events. Her work includes the Australian Open, Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and other renowned large-scale events and festivals.

Rachella founded Event Kit, where she turns decades of professional event know-how into practical tools for event planners worldwide.

Learn More → ABOUT

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