Festivals - Tips for searching Festivals

Playing festivals is a great way for bands and artists to play to new crowds and potential fans. Search our Festivals section to find details for events with slots and stages dedicated to emerging acts; everything from large events such as Reading/Leeds, T In The Park, Bestival and Glastonbury to smaller, independent festivals in both fields and cities.

You can search Festivals by the month they take place OR by the month in which they stop accepting submissions to play and we strongly suggest you browse the listings using these filters to make sure you don’t miss an application deadline. As many festivals book their acts several months in advance of the actual event, a good time of year to start checking out festivals and doing your research is November/December of the year before, although there are opportunities all year round. Make sure you log any important dates in your diary so you don’t miss out!

As always, you can also search Festivals by the region or town/city in which they are based.

Tips for contacting Festivals

Contacting festivals can be a very time-sensitive matter as they typically accept applications and book their stages within certain time periods (although there are some who accept submissions all year round), so if you miss this opening you have to wait to try again next year. Make notes in your diary so deadlines aren’t overlooked.

The application processes for music festivals can vary greatly so it’s very important to read the info we provide in the listing thoroughly. Some festival organisers want to receive demo submissions via email, but others run competitions to find suitable acts or ask you to submit a standard application form online. Make sure you read first so you don’t waste your own time by applying via the wrong method.

What’s in a Festival listing?

• Contact details
• Social media profiles (where applicable)
• Contact name(s)
• Month the festival takes place
• Month of application deadline
• Genres they specialise in
• What stages/slots they have available for emerging music
• How to apply to play

NB. Please note The Unsigned Guide can only publish the contact details and information that each individual company gives us permission to make publicly available so the level of detail in some listings can vary. We do our best to encourage companies and individuals listed to give as much info as possible to make sure the listings are helpful to you.

Further reading & advice

Follow the links below to documents & articles that we think can further help you covering how to get the most out of a festival slot, plus mastering the perfect biog:

Making the most of your festival slot http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/490

Top 5 mistakes bands make in their biogs http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/510

The Unsigned Guide’s Top Tips for Approaching Music Companies http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/331

BPI Music Industry Maps http://members.theunsignedguide.com/category/management/ytmi/316