The gates at Glastonbury 2015 are open! Even though the main stage will not see a performer until Friday, 10’s thousands of fan have begun their annual pilgrimage to the festival today. They will set up camp and start to orient themselves with visits to the side shows and attractions. At some point they will think about food and how to buy things they have forgotten to pack in their trusty rucksacks.
What they will not be thinking about is how long it has taken for the food and concession suppliers to compete for the prime spots to ensure they make enough money to cover their costs. These businesses, both large and small, started their own pilgrimage around this time last year. Planning for a festival, be it Glastonbury, Bestival, Reading or even The Secret Garden Party takes a long time. The competition is fierce, around 3,000 businesses competed for positions at Glastonbury this year.
Most of the big festivals require applications to be submitted from around October to December of the year before the festival. The application goes into the pot with all the others and the selection process begins. The successful applicants are usually notified towards the end of February or in March. At this point the real work begins. Documentation has to be completed and pitch fees paid. This can be a harrowing time for a small business, the up-front fee for a good position can be around £10,000. Even though they could make more than twice that in sales, it is a heavy burden to carry for several months.
If you are thinking about trading at Glatonbury or any other festival, take a look at “From Glastonbury to Bestival” published in the Guardian On-line as a good starting point to see other people experiences.
Glastonbury Festival is a five-day music festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts.
