Community First: Designing Festivals With, Not For

Designing a cultural festival with, not for the community means actively involving local people in every stage of planning and execution. This approach shifts the paradigm from a top-down, outside organizer mindset to a collaborative partnership. Around the world – from rural villages in India to city neighborhoods in the UK – festivals thrive when residents feel a sense of ownership. By engaging local voices early and often, festival organizers can create events that resonate deeply with the community, avoid cultural missteps, and build lasting goodwill. In short, a festival designed with its community becomes not just an event, but a shared celebration of local identity.

Build a Community Council with Real Voting Power

A practical way to put “community first” is to establish a community council that has genuine decision-making power. This council can be made up of local residents, cultural leaders, business owners, and artists who represent the community’s diversity. Importantly, it should be more than a symbolic advisory board – give this group real voting power over key programming choices, such as selecting local performers or deciding festival themes. For example, in parts of Australia local councils have Festival Advisory Committees composed of community members to plan events that reflect local interests. When such a council votes on programming, it ensures the festival’s content aligns with community values and tastes. This not only enriches the festival program with authentic local flavor, but also makes the community feel heard and respected. Decisions made collaboratively tend to face less opposition; when the community helps choose a festival’s direction, they are more likely to support it wholeheartedly and even defend it in challenging times.

Tips for Setting Up a Council:

• Diverse Representation: Invite members from different demographics, including youth, elders, local artists, business owners, and officials. A broad mix guarantees that various community perspectives are considered.
• Clear Mandate: Define the areas where the council has voting authority (e.g., artist lineup curation, cultural programming, community initiatives) so their influence is transparent and real.
• Regular Meetings: Schedule consistent meetings well in advance of the festival date. Use these sessions to brainstorm, review plans, and vote on proposals. Keep minutes and action items to track decisions.
• Training and Support: Some council members might be new to event planning. Offer basic orientation or mentorship so they understand festival logistics and can contribute effectively.
• Show Visible Outcomes: Let the public know which aspects of the festival the council influenced. For instance, if the community council voted to include a traditional dance segment or a local band as a headliner, promote that fact. It demonstrates that community voices directly shaped the event.

By empowering a community council, festival producers demonstrate trust in the people of the host area. This level of inclusion can transform local skeptics into active supporters. When residents see that they have a real stake in the festival’s success, it becomes their festival as much as yours.

Pay and Publicly Credit Local Advisors

True community collaboration means valuing the expertise and time of local contributors. One common mistake outside organizers make is expecting community leaders or culture-bearers to volunteer their input for free. To build a genuine partnership, pay your community advisors or liaisons for their work and credit them openly. Whether it’s a local elder advising on cultural protocol, a neighborhood activist helping navigate local concerns, or an artist collective co-creating content – compensation shows respect. It treats local knowledge as the professional asset that it is.

In many countries, it’s standard practice to offer an honorarium or consulting fee to community advisors. For example, festival teams in New Zealand often allocate budget to engage M?ori tribal elders (kaum?tua) who provide guidance on protocols like welcomes or blessings, acknowledging their time and wisdom with payment. Similarly, a music festival in India might hire local folk artists as consultants to ensure traditional art forms are presented appropriately. These advisors should then be credited in programs, websites, and onstage announcements (where appropriate) just as one would credit a creative director or sponsor.

Benefits of Paying and Crediting Advisors:

• Trust and Goodwill: When you pay local advisors, you demonstrate that their contributions are valued. This builds trust and encourages continued collaboration. The community sees that the festival is investing back into its people, not just profiting from them.
• Higher Quality Input: Paid advisors are more likely to dedicate time and effort, resulting in more thoughtful programming suggestions and solutions to challenges. They feel a responsibility to deliver value in return.
• Public Recognition: By publicly crediting advisors (e.g., “Community Cultural Advisor: Maria Gomez” on the festival website or banners), you acknowledge the shared effort. The community takes pride in seeing one of their own recognized, and it signals transparency – the festival is not claiming to know it all, but rather openly showing who helped shape it.
• Networking and Advocacy: Credited advisors often become ambassadors for your event. Proud of their role, they will spread positive word-of-mouth in the community. When those individuals are respected locally, their endorsement can carry significant weight in persuading others to support the festival.

In short, budget for community expertise just as you would for sound equipment or marketing. It’s an investment in local relationships that can pay off through smoother operations and stronger community backing.

Co-Host Listening Sessions and Act on the Feedback

Engagement shouldn’t happen behind closed doors only. Proactively invite the wider community to listening sessions or town-hall meetings about the festival. Co-host these sessions with local organizations or leaders to show unity – for example, partner with the neighborhood association, a local cultural center, or city council members to run a public forum. During these meetings, present your initial ideas and genuinely ask for input: “What would you like to see at this festival? What concerns do you have?” Listening sincerely is crucial; often residents will surface issues and ideas event producers might not have considered – from highlighting a beloved local tradition that could be included, to pointing out a potential traffic bottleneck on the planned parade route.

The key step after gathering feedback is to act on it and publicly communicate the changes. If you host a community listening session in a Singapore neighborhood and residents express worry about noise after 10 PM, be prepared to adjust your schedule or enhance soundproofing – then announce those changes. For instance, you might publish a summary report titled “What We Heard and What We’re Doing” on the festival website or local media. This report can list community suggestions and how the festival is addressing each one. Even small tweaks, like adding more family-friendly activities because local parents asked for them, should be noted.

Best Practices for Listening and Responding:

• Early Outreach: Hold listening sessions early in the planning phase, when there’s still flexibility to make changes. Avoid the impression that “it’s all decided and this meeting is just for show.” Genuine openness goes a long way.
• Multiple Channels: Not everyone can attend a meeting in person. Use multiple channels – online surveys, social media Q&As, or suggestion drop-boxes at community centers – to gather input. This ensures you hear from a wider cross-section of the community, including those who may not speak up in public.
• Moderation and Respect: Co-host the session with a trusted local figure who can help moderate. Ensure the environment is respectful and everyone gets a chance to speak. A two-way dialogue is the goal – community members share, and organizers respond in real-time when possible.
• Transparency: After the session, publicly thank participants and share what was learned. Be honest about which requests can be accommodated and which cannot (with clear reasons, e.g., budget or timing constraints). Transparency builds credibility even when you can’t do everything asked.
• Follow Through: Make visible changes. If suggestions were implemented, let people know when and how. For example, “At the community’s request, we’ve added a shuttle service from the remote parking lot” or “Based on feedback from the listening tour, this year’s festival will feature a showcase of local youth dance groups on opening night.”

When people see their feedback reflected in the final event, it builds a powerful sense of mutual respect. Community members feel it’s our festival – they helped shape it. Moreover, addressing concerns upfront can prevent problems during the event (such as neighborhood complaints or cultural missteps), smoothing the path for the festival’s success.

Avoid Extractive “Showcase and Leave” Models

In planning culturally focused festivals, an outside producer must avoid the trap of parachuting in, using local culture as a convenient “backdrop,” and then disappearing after the event with the profits. This “showcase then leave” model – where organizers briefly exhibit local arts or talent for spectacle and then exit without further engagement – can be very damaging. Communities often recognize when they are being treated as a short-term attraction rather than genuine partners. The result? Feelings of exploitation and resentment, which can tarnish the festival’s reputation and make it unwelcome if you attempt to return.

Instead, aim for long-term community engagement and mutual benefit. If you’re hosting a cultural festival in, say, Mexico or Indonesia, think beyond the festival weekend. How can the event contribute to the community year-round or leave a positive legacy? It might be through revenue-sharing, skills training, or infrastructure improvements. For example, rather than simply hiring a local dance troupe as an opening act and ending the relationship there, consider investing in that troupe’s development. Perhaps the festival can fund a series of free dance workshops for local youth, led by those performers, which continue after the event. Or if you build structures or bring equipment for the festival, see if some of it can be donated to local community centers or reused for local events.

Strategies to Ensure Mutual Benefit:

• Local Talent Development: Don’t just showcase local artists – help elevate them. Include mentorship programs where international headliners interact with local performers, or offer a festival-run training camp in sound production, event management, or stage design for locals interested in those skills.
• Economic Integration: Commit to spending a certain percentage of your budget within the local economy. Use local caterers, buy supplies from local vendors, and hire local staff beyond just the bare minimum. When the community tangibly profits, they’ll look forward to the festival’s return.
• Environmental and Infrastructure Legacy: If your festival requires significant infrastructure (water, electricity, stages), plan in a way that some improvements benefit the community afterward. For instance, if you’re bringing in portable toilets or solar lighting for a rural festival in Africa, ensure they stay or are donated to the village or town, rather than hauled away without replacement.
• Continuous Engagement: Between festival editions, maintain communication. Share festival outcomes with the community (e.g., “last year we attracted 5,000 visitors to our town, generating income for dozens of local businesses”) and solicit ideas for next year well in advance. This ongoing presence demonstrates that you see the community as partners, not just hosts.
• Cultural Exchange, Not Exploitation: If the festival highlights local culture (traditional ceremonies, crafts, music), do so with full respect and context. Work with cultural custodians to present these elements appropriately, and ensure they receive fair compensation and attribution. Avoid any display that feels like a human zoo or a novelty act – the community’s culture should be honored, not used cheaply for entertainment.

By rejecting an extractive approach, you instead cultivate a reciprocal relationship. Communities are far more inclined to embrace a festival that visibly strives to uplift them and celebrate their contributions. Over time, this builds pride – locals become festival ambassadors, and the event gains authenticity that cannot be fabricated by outside organizers alone.

Co-Ownership Creates Resilience and Advocacy

Empowering the community as co-owners of a festival (whether symbolically or even financially) can be a game-changer when challenges arise. Co-ownership means the festival is not just for the community but truly by the community in meaningful ways. This could range from forming a legal partnership with a local community organization to simply instilling a shared identity (e.g., always calling it “our city’s festival” and involving locals deeply in branding and decision-making). When people feel a sense of ownership, they are more likely to go to bat for the event if it faces difficulties – be it stricter permit regulations, budget shortfalls, or even public criticism.

Many festivals around the world have survived crises thanks to community advocacy. For instance, a cultural festival in a small town in Spain found its future in doubt after a key sponsor pulled out. Because local residents and businesses saw themselves as stakeholders – some had even formed a non-profit group to co-produce the event – they rallied to save it. Community members volunteered, local shops ran fundraising drives, and the town council was petitioned by citizens to provide a bridge grant. The festival not only went ahead, but in the following years these advocates helped restructure the budget to rely more on community support and less on outside sponsors. This is the power of co-ownership: the community will not let “their” festival fail without a fight.

How to Foster Co-Ownership:

• Joint Ventures: If feasible, partner with a local entity (cultural association, municipality, community trust, etc.) as a co-producer. This might mean sharing revenue or decision-making power formally through a contract or agreement. Having a local co-host can also help navigate bureaucracy, since a known community entity often has more sway with permit authorities and local leaders.
• Volunteer Leadership Roles: Encourage community volunteers not just to do basic tasks but to take leadership in certain festival segments (e.g., a local club manages the children’s area or a community theater group curates a performance stage). Give them titles and responsibilities. When volunteers feel they “own” a part of the festival, their personal investment and pride increase.
• Community Funding Initiatives: Consider partial community funding. For example, run a crowdfunding campaign or a neighborhood sponsorship drive where locals contribute and have a tangible stake in the event’s success. Even small contributions or local business sponsorships create a network of invested supporters. A community that has financially contributed will be emotionally invested as well.
• Profit Sharing for Community Projects: If the festival turns a profit, allocate a portion to community causes or improvements. For instance, pledge that 10% of surplus revenue goes to local arts education, public space beautification, or a charity chosen by the community. This way, success for the festival means direct success for the locality, reinforcing the sense of shared purpose.
• Include Locals in Crisis Management: Should any issue or crisis occur (permits in jeopardy, last-minute venue changes, etc.), involve trusted community representatives in the discussions or task force. Their presence underlines that the festival is a joint effort. Moreover, they can be invaluable in crafting solutions that outsiders might miss and in communicating the plan to other locals, maintaining trust even under stress.

When permits are threatened or budgets are tight, a co-owning community becomes an army of advocates. They can attend city council hearings to speak on the festival’s behalf, organize petitions, use local media to express support, or rally resources to bridge a funding gap. Local authorities are far more likely to work towards a compromise or exception if they see that the event has broad, enthusiastic support from their constituents. In financial pinches, community co-owners might volunteer services, offer in-kind support, or tap into local networks for alternative funding – creativity and solidarity that an outside organizer alone couldn’t muster. Co-ownership thus gives a festival not just roots in the community, but also a safety net woven by that community.

Conclusion

Designing a festival with the community, and not just for them, is both an ethical approach and a strategic one. It nurtures goodwill, ensures cultural sensitivity, and builds a network of supporters who will stand by the event through thick and thin. From small cultural celebrations in villages to international festivals in world cities, the principle is the same: inclusive collaboration leads to more meaningful experiences. Festivals born from community collaboration tend to be richer in local culture, smoother in execution (thanks to fewer conflicts), and more sustainable in the long run.

Embracing community councils, compensating and crediting advisors, actively listening and responding, avoiding extractive practices, and sharing ownership – these practices create a festival that is woven into the fabric of the community. Such an event doesn’t just take place in a community; it becomes part of the community itself. And when a festival reaches that level of integration, it gains a resilience and authenticity that no amount of marketing can buy.

Key Takeaways

• Involve Local Voices Early: Establish a community council or advisory committee with real decision-making power to ensure festival programming aligns with local culture and needs.
• Value Local Expertise: Pay community advisors or cultural consultants for their time and publicly credit their contributions, demonstrating respect and building trust.
• Listen and Adapt: Host listening sessions to gather resident feedback, then act on their suggestions. Communicate the changes made in response to input to show accountability.
• Be a Partner, Not an Extractor: Don’t treat the community as a backdrop. Integrate the festival into local life by developing local talent, investing in the area’s economy, and leaving positive legacies after the event.
• Foster Shared Ownership: Make the festival a shared project. When communities feel a sense of ownership – through co-production roles or financial stakes – they become loyal advocates who support the event during challenges and help sustain it for the long run.