British media recently reported on an increasing number of twinned festivals. For instance, the Summer Sundae festival in Leicester, UK, recently linked with Bergenfest in Norway in a move that is designed to share ideas, knowledge and talent in a increasingly competitive and international market.
The Bergenfest (held this year April 30 to 1 May 1) is a city-based festival featuring a dozen venues from small clubs to concert halls, while the Summer Sundae Weekender in Leicester is a three-day festival in the surroundings of De Montfort Hall, held in August.
Based on the "twin town" concept, festivals seek to push their presence abroad and perhaps attract new customers, but the reciprocal benefits may include shared programming, staff and volunteer exchanges, and joint international marketing.
Other British festivals have twinned with intenational counterparts. ”Big Session” in Leicester is paired with the ”Tønder Festival” (Tonder, Denmark); and the ”Eden Sessions” (Cornwall, UK) enjoys partnership with ”Airwaves” (Reykjavik, Iceland), to name a few. Other partnerships are listed below.
Let us know if you have partnered internationally, and what you are gaining from it. We would love to feature your thoughts in future newsletters or conferences.
Twinned festivals include
- Tønder Festival, Tønder, Denmark, 26 - 29 August (founded in 1975, focuses on traditional and modern folk music, highlights 2010 include The Chieftans, Arlo Gutherie, Runrig), twinned with Big Session, Leicester, UK, 18 - 20 June (family-friendly folk festival, featuring (2010) The Proclaimers, Kate Rusby, Dreadzone.
- Eden Sessions, Cornwall, UK, 26 - 27 June (a series of one-day festivals in the Eden project, Cornwall, highligts i.e. Vampire Weekend, Calvin Harris, Mika), twinned with Airwaves, Reykjavik, Iceland, 14 - 18th October (Icelandic and international music)
- Nozstock, Herefordshire, UK, 9 - 11 July (Live music, DJs, comedy and theatre, highlights The Blockheads, Gabby Young and Other Animals), twinned with Italia Wave Love, Livorno, Italy, 16 - 19 July (rock, electronica, techno, folk etc. held at the Armando Picchi Stadium)
- Glade Festival, Winchester, UK, 15 - 18 July (non-mainstream dance music), twinned with Symbiosis, California, USA, 17 - 21 September (featuring "synaesthesia of art, music, transformational learning")
- Melt, Ferropolis, Germany, 16 - 18 July (held in an industrial museum, in the city of Gräfenhainichen; highlights 2010 include The XX, Groove Armada, Sigur Rós; twinned with Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK, 11 - 13 September (a fancy-dress music festival run by DJ Rob da Bank, featuring The Prodigy, Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal)
- Field Day, London, UK, 31st July, a one-day festival in east London, twinned with Øya Festival, Oslo, Norway, 10 - 14 August Festival in the Medieval Park in Oslo
- Standon Calling, Hertfordshire, UK, 6 - 8 August (at the Hertfordshire manor house, with Buena Vista Social Club and Gilles Peterson), twinned with Calvi on the Rocks, Corsica, France, 2 - 3 July (presenting Hot Chip, Carl Craig, Joakim), and
- Leefest, Bromley, Kent, UK, 13th - 16th August (Grassroots Festival Award winner in 2009), twinned with GetExited, Croatia, 1st - 4th July, held in an open-air beach club
