Music festivals bring together thousands of people for a few days of sound, joy, and community. But behind every stage and every light show is a huge network of workers, artists, organisers, and businesses. For them, festivals are more than just events—they’re how they make a living. After the pandemic, many of these festivals faced major challenges. Some survived. Others didn’t. Here’s a closer look at what really goes on behind the scenes, how festivals make money, what risks they carry, and why they still matter today.
Festivals Are Built on Risk and Trust
Running a music festival is always risky. It takes a full year of planning, and success depends on only a few days. For independent organisers, there’s even more pressure. They often rely on small teams, personal connections, and tight money control. Some, like Standon Calling, have grown from private parties into large public events, but the structure remains fragile. With so much depending on suppliers and partners, trust plays a major role. A single missed payment can lead to last-minute problems. Even before the pandemic, this kind of work wasn’t for the faint-hearted. The risks are always present.
How the Pandemic Nearly Shut It All Down
In 2020, almost every festival was cancelled due to COVID-19. That meant no ticket sales, no food vendors, no jobs, and no shows. In the UK alone, nearly 1,000 festivals were called off. Some organisers lost their main source of income. Others had to cancel at the last minute without insurance. Festival insurance didn’t cover COVID, and the government didn’t step in quickly. Even when events returned in 2021, self-isolation rules forced artists and ticket holders to stay away. Still, some organisers took the risk to go ahead, hoping to recover some of their money and keep the community alive.
Artists Depend Heavily on Live Shows
Streaming might be how you listen to music now, but for many artists, it doesn’t pay well. They earn far more money from live events, especially festivals. Performing at a large festival often pays more than smaller solo shows. It also helps artists gain new fans, as many people discover new music while walking around the festival site. For some artists, festivals make up half their yearly income or more. During the pandemic, that income disappeared. Some adapted by teaching online or releasing music digitally, but not everyone could make the change. Live shows are still one of the few ways musicians can earn steady money.
The People Behind the Scenes Also Struggled
You might think of festivals as stages and music, but there are hundreds of people working behind the scenes. These include technicians, set designers, cooks, cleaners, medical staff, and security. Most of them work on short-term contracts, moving from one festival to the next. When COVID hit, those jobs vanished overnight. Some workers found other jobs, like driving trucks or delivering parcels. Others were left with no money. Many say that if festivals hadn’t returned in 2021, they would have left the industry for good. Organisers who couldn’t pay their teams had to make difficult calls. For many, that was the worst part of the crisis.
Profit Margins Are Thin and Unpredictable
Making money from a festival is hard. There are three big sources of income—ticket sales, sponsorships, and bar money. But these are never guaranteed. Costs are high, and profit only starts after reaching a breakeven point. That means selling a certain number of tickets just to cover costs. After that, every extra ticket helps. But every unsold ticket hurts. A single rainy weekend can lead to huge losses. Festivals also depend on cuts from food and drink vendors. Usually, organisers take 30–35% from what vendors earn. That helps cover costs, but it’s not always enough to stay afloat year to year.
Weather, Cancellations, and No Insurance Made It Worse
Before the pandemic, festivals could buy insurance to protect against things like bad weather. But in 2020 and 2021, insurers stopped covering events for diseases like COVID-19. That meant if a festival had to cancel due to health rules, they would lose nearly all their money. The UK government finally stepped in, but only late in the 2021 season. By then, many festivals had already made the hard choice to cancel. For some, like Standon Calling, the show went ahead—but without full protection. That left organisers and teams under even more pressure to avoid anything that could shut the event down.
Going Ahead Meant Taking Huge Risks
Some festivals decided to go forward without full coverage, knowing it might be their only chance to stay alive. They asked visitors for negative tests and followed safety steps to reduce risk. Many people supported these events, understanding how much work went into them. But not everyone came. Some who bought tickets decided to stay home out of caution. Organisers had to deal with refund requests, even from people who weren’t sick. Others accepted the risk and came. But one storm or setback—like the heavy rain on the last day of Standon Calling—could end things early, making recovery even harder.
Small Festivals Are Looking for Help from Big Partners
To survive, many smaller festivals have joined forces with larger companies. Some have sold small stakes to event groups or music labels. This gives them access to better money, resources, and support. It also helps reduce the pressure of handling everything alone. But it also means a shift in how they operate. They still act like independents, but now with some backup. This kind of help is becoming more common in the festival world. Others, like WOMAD, reduce risk by running events in different countries. That way, if one event has to cancel, the others can still happen.
The Festival Scene Still Matters to People
After months of lockdowns and isolation, people wanted to come together again. Festivals gave them that chance. It wasn’t just about the music—it was about community, freedom, and connection. For many people working behind the scenes, it was also about survival. Festivals bring money to local areas, support artists, and give thousands of people jobs each summer. The last few years have shown just how fragile this system can be. But they’ve also shown how strong the festival spirit remains. People still care. They still come. And that means there’s still a future for this risky business.