New documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at UK festival production

Festival production company, The Fair, has released a new documentary It Takes A Village.

The film is a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run festivals and events, whilst encouraging the need for more support for the industry and its workers.

In a statement, The Fair shared that it hopes this new documentary will "shine a light on the value of festivals and events will encourage further support to keep the industry thriving."

The film follows the on-site production team to a range of festivals, such as Maiden Voyage, Gottwood and El Dorado.

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For a decade, the London-based team have been working on large-scale events and festivals — with It Takes A Village showcasing the everyday struggles such as lightning strikes to rail strikes on top of bigger issues including the increasing supply chain costs and minimal support.

"These challenges are exactly what we wanted to highlight in this short film," The Fair say. "As an industry, we all work tirelessly to bring these events to life, something which we should be celebrating more often.

"We hope that shining a light on our amazing industry will show exactly why the festival sector not only deserves more support but needs it – now more than ever," the team adds.

The documentary also comments on the current landscape of the event sector, sharing data from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) which revealed that one in six UK festivals that were operating in 2019 were no longer running in 2023.

The Fair is currently supporting AIF’s Five Percent For Festivals campaign calling for urgent action from the government by requesting a three-year VAT reduction on music festival ticket sales.

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Nick Morgan, CEO of The Fair says about the new documentary: "I've been very vocal around the cultural crisis we're facing. Never has it been so important that the sector is supported by the government. Hopefully, this documentary highlights all the hard work our industry does and the need for more support."

Group Director of The Fair Yasmin Galletti also shared: "On-site colleagues are family to us, and this close community culture is something we feel should be celebrated.

"Against the backdrop of challenges being faced across the events sector, we wanted to highlight the hard work that goes into what we do, and why festivals are vital for society. We’ve fought some tough battles over the years, but again, the industry must rally together to save what we love most."

It Takes A Village premiered at the Night Time Industry Association’s Night Time Economy Summit in Manchester last month with The Fair also hosting a series of panels exploring the festivals and events industry.

The full documentary is available to watch below.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter