Festival Program Philosophy: Commerce vs Curation Without a Culture War

Navigating the Commerce vs Curation Spectrum

In the festival world, every festival producer must grapple with the balance between commercial appeal and curated content. Striking this balance is crucial for a festival’s strategy and positioning in the market. Some festivals pride themselves on being taste-makers, introducing audiences to new and groundbreaking acts. Others lean toward a populist approach, stacking lineups with proven crowd-pleasers. The key is to decide where on this spectrum your festival will sit and codify that philosophy into clear programming rules to guide your team. This prevents internal conflicts and ensures everyone—from booking to marketing—works toward the same vision.

Define Your Festival Identity: Taste-Maker vs. Crowd-Pleaser

First, clarify your festival’s core identity. Is the goal to be a taste-maker that champions emerging talent and cutting-edge experiences? Or is it to attract the widest audience with big names and popular acts? Many events find a middle ground, but deciding your leanings upfront will inform all programming decisions. For example, a boutique indie music festival in New Zealand might focus on alternative bands and local singer-songwriters, whereas a mega-festival in the United States might chase Top 40 headliners to sell 100,000 tickets. Both approaches can succeed, but they create very different brands and fan expectations.

• Taste-Making Approach: Festivals known for taste-making (such as niche cultural events or avant-garde arts festivals) often prioritize originality and artistic merit. These events might book relatively unknown “first-look” artists and experimental performances that challenge and excite seasoned fans. The payoff is a reputation for discovery and cultural leadership. Example: Primavera Sound in Spain built its name by introducing rising indie and alternative acts, many of whom later exploded in popularity, making the festival a pilgrimage for music enthusiasts seeking the next big thing.

• Populist Approach: More populist festivals aim to please a broad swath of fans. They book plenty of big legacy acts and mainstream stars with proven draw. This strategy can maximize ticket sales and media buzz. Example: Rock in Rio (Brazil) or Summerfest (USA) reliably feature global hit-makers and nostalgia acts that appeal to multi-generational audiences. The identity here is about mass appeal and shared pop culture moments.

Neither end of the spectrum is “right” or “wrong” – what matters is consistency with your festival’s mission and audience. A large-scale event in India like Sunburn (an EDM festival) may successfully lean populist with superstar DJs, while a boutique festival like Magnetic Fields (India) thrives as a taste-maker event spotlighting underground electronic artists. Know your niche and own it.

Codify Your Programming Rules

Once you know your philosophical leaning, translate it into concrete programming guidelines. Codifying rules helps remove guesswork and personal bias when curating lineups. It also provides a rationale you can communicate to stakeholders (and even the public) about your choices.

Consider creating an internal “programming framework” that sets targets or quotas for the types of acts you’ll book. This might include guidelines like:
– A fixed number or percentage of legacy slots (well-established, beloved artists or attractions with broad appeal).
– A commitment to a certain number of “first-look” slots for new artists, premieres, or first-time festival appearances.
– Rules for diversity and representation (e.g. genre variety, local vs. international talent, gender balance in the lineup).
– Criteria for special showcases or commissions (for example, one slot reserved for a unique collaboration or an experimental project aligned with your festival’s theme).

By codifying such rules, the team has a clear playbook. For instance, Glastonbury Festival in the UK informally follows a tradition of reserving a “Legends” slot for a heritage act each year (a legacy artist performing to honor music history), even while most headliners are contemporary stars. On the other hand, Sundance Film Festival programs a set number of debut films from first-time directors in its competition lineup, ensuring fresh voices get exposure alongside more famous filmmakers.

These frameworks don’t have to be public (they can be internal policies), but sticking to them will keep your programming true to your vision. A real-world example comes from the Take Me Somewhere festival in Scotland: their curatorial statement explains that they present world-leading international performers alongside established local artists, and they consciously decided not to focus on very early-career artists in their early years (takemesomewhere.co.uk). This kind of clarity helps everyone understand the boundaries of selection.

“Must-Sell” vs “Must-Build” Moments

Not all slots in your festival lineup serve the same purpose. Wise festival organizers separate “must-sell” moments from “must-build” moments and allocate resources accordingly.

• Identify Must-Sell Moments: These are the program elements that must perform well commercially. They are often your headline attractions – the artists or experiences that drive the bulk of ticket sales or media attention. For a music festival, this might be a globally famous headliner each night or a reunion of a legendary band. For a food festival, it could be a celebrity chef’s demonstration. These are the bookings that your marketing will heavily highlight and that many attendees come specifically to see. Since they carry the weight of ticket sales, give them the production and promotion they deserve. That could mean prime time slots on the main stage, top-notch sound and lighting, grand marketing campaigns, and ensuring the artist’s needs are fully met to deliver a stellar show.

• Identify Must-Build Moments: These are the parts of your program that may not draw huge crowds on name recognition alone, but are important for your festival’s long-term brand and mission. They might be emerging artists, niche genre showcases, cultural performances, or new interactive ideas that you believe in. Must-build moments need nurturing – they might turn into tomorrow’s must-sell attractions if handled right. Give these acts appropriate production in a way that highlights their uniqueness. For example, if you have an unknown folk artist from Indonesia on the bill, setting them in an intimate, well-designed stage environment and telling their story in the program can pique audience interest. Or at a film festival, a small indie documentary might get a dedicated Q&A and contextual introduction to entice film-goers to take a chance on it. While you won’t spend Beyoncé-level budget on a must-build act, you should still allocate skilled crew, good sound, and creative staging to make it memorable for those who attend.

By clearly labeling which items in your festival are must-sell versus must-build, you can avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Your team will know where a splashy spectacle is non-negotiable and where a more experimental, low-key vibe is appropriate. This prevents both under-delivering on major draws and over-spending on minor ones. Successful festivals across the world use this tactic: Australia’s Splendour in the Grass, for instance, might pour resources into its mainstage headliners (must-sell) while nurturing cutting-edge acts on smaller stages with curated atmospheres (must-build). Both elements coexist to create an overall experience that is financially viable yet forward-thinking.

Communicate Your Curatorial Vision

Having a strong programming philosophy is not just an internal guide—it’s also a message that needs to be communicated externally. Publishing a curatorial statement or set of programming principles for partners and press can greatly enhance understanding and buy-in. When sponsors, booking agents, or collaborators know your festival’s vision, it becomes easier to say “no” to proposals that don’t fit, without causing offense or confusion.

Consider writing a brief curatorial statement that outlines:
– Your festival’s mission and the cultural value it aims to provide.
– The balance you seek between established crowd-pleasers and new discoveries.
– Any specific curatorial themes or commitments (e.g. supporting local talent, focusing on sustainability, highlighting a particular culture or genre).

Make this statement part of sponsor decks, press releases, and your website’s “About” section. For example, a major film festival might explicitly state that it declines certain commercial premieres in favor of artistic merit, so studios understand why a blockbuster may not be accepted. A music festival might announce that its lineup is 50% local talent, preparing managers that not every international chart-topper can be accommodated. When external partners see the rationale behind your programming, they are more likely to respect it. It turns potential culture clashes into productive conversations.

Many successful festivals use this approach. Singapore’s Baybeats festival, as a case study, clearly brands itself as a launchpad for Asian alternative music; talent managers pitching mainstream pop acts there won’t be surprised if they’re turned down, because the festival’s public ethos makes its niche clear. By contrast, a more commercial festival openly touting its “all-star lineup of hitmakers” sets a different expectation. In both cases, clarity avoids misunderstandings.

Moreover, a curatorial statement isn’t just for industry—it can also help educate your audience. Hardcore fans and tastemakers will appreciate knowing the thought process behind the lineup. It transforms your programming into a narrative, not just a list of names. This storytelling adds intangible value to your event and can build loyalty: attendees feel part of a festival that has a purpose, whether it’s cultural preservation, innovation, or community building.

Evolve with Fan Data, Not Hunches

The work isn’t done once you set your philosophy and launch your festival. Great festival producers constantly revisit their programming strategy using fan data, not just gut feelings. Each year, gather as much information as possible about what worked and what didn’t:
– Ticket sales patterns (Which acts or days drove spikes in sales? Did certain announcements create notable buzz?)
– On-site attendance and engagement (Which stages or sessions drew the biggest crowds, and how long did people stay?)
– Attendee feedback (Post-festival surveys, social media sentiment, press reviews, and direct fan comments can reveal favorites and disappointments.)
– Demographic data (Did you actually attract the diverse audience you aimed for? Are you drawing new attendees or mostly repeat loyalists?)

Use tools and platforms that help aggregate this data. Modern ticketing and event apps (such as Ticket Fairy’s analytics dashboard) can show you which ticket buyers showed up early for certain acts or how different ticket types sold. Social media analysis might highlight surprise breakout performances that got people talking.

Crucially, trust the data over hunches. It’s easy for a festival organizing team to have internal biases – maybe you felt like the crowd wasn’t into the experimental stage, or you assume a legacy band was the highlight. But the numbers might tell a different story. Perhaps the experimental stage had lower attendance but those who went rated it 9/10 in surveys, meaning it has strong niche impact. Or maybe that legacy band sold tickets but half the crowd left early, signaling nostalgia alone isn’t enough. Data can reveal these nuances.

In recent years, festival teams around the globe have embraced a data-informed approach. Analyzing response metrics like engagement, attendance, and satisfaction helps uncover what audiences truly want and moves lineup decisions beyond intuition (datacalculus.com). For example, if fan data shows that a small “first-look” act ended up being one of the most-streamed artists on your festival’s post-event playlist, that’s a sign your taste-making is paying off and you might even elevate that act to a bigger slot next time. Conversely, if an expensive populist headliner didn’t significantly boost single-day ticket sales, you might recalibrate how much of your budget goes to legacy acts versus emerging ones.

Make it a habit to revisit your programming philosophy annually. Assemble your team after each edition (give yourselves a post-event breather, then regroup) and review the festival through the lens of data. Did your mix of commerce vs curation achieve the desired outcomes? Are fans leaning more toward one side of the spectrum in their preferences? Over several years, you might notice trends – maybe your audience is aging and now cares more about comfort and nostalgia, or maybe a new generation of fans is coming for the cutting-edge DJs you’ve booked. Let the data inform tweaks to your strategy: you might decide to add more must-sell anchors, or conversely, to double down on curation if that’s differentiating your brand in a crowded market.

Finally, balance data with vision. Numbers are critical, but they should guide, not completely dictate, your future lineups. Retain the human element of creativity and passion in curation. The goal is to ground your decisions in reality (what fans actually respond to) rather than assumptions. This keeps your festival evolving in the right direction—staying true to its identity while adapting to the changing tastes and behaviors of your audience.

Key Takeaways

• Find Your Balance: Decide where your festival sits on the commerce-to-curation spectrum (taste-maker vs crowd-pleaser) as a strategic position. Consistency here shapes your brand and audience expectations.
• Set Programming Guidelines: Convert your philosophy into clear booking rules or targets (e.g. X% emerging talent, Y number of legacy headliners, diversity goals) to guide curation and keep your lineup aligned with your mission.
• Prioritize Program Elements: Distinguish must-sell acts that drive ticket sales from must-build acts that advance your cultural vision. Allocate budget, marketing, and production resources in proportion to their role.
• Communicate Your Vision: Share a curatorial statement or guiding principles with partners, sponsors, and even the public. Transparency about your programming choices helps manage expectations and justifies decisions to decline off-mission ideas.
• Data-Driven Evolution: After each festival, use real fan data – not just instincts – to assess what worked. Update your programming strategy annually based on evidence like ticket trends, attendee feedback, and engagement metrics, while still honoring your festival’s core ethos.