Fields of Dreams: how music festivals moved from the margins to the mainstream

Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband & Geoff Lloyd

Hello! Last year, around six million people went to a music festival in the UK. Long gone are the days of hippies at Woodstock or even jumping the fence at Glastonbury: festivals are everywhere, and they're big business. The upside is there’s really something for everyone. Perhaps, like Ed, your twenties were also dominated by phone calls from Gordon Brown. We’re here to convince you it’s time to get down to a nearby field, no matter your age, music taste or enthusiasm for fancy dress! We talk festival mythology with Chris Anderton, to Kate Osler about what it’s like to stage an independent festival and finally to Chiara Badiali about how going to a festival could be good for the climate.

Plus: A tale of woe - Geoff vs. Lime Bike

Guests

Kate Osler, Festival Director, El Dorado Festival (@eldoradofestival)

Chris Anderton, Associate Professor in Cultural Economy, Solent University (@SolentUni)

Chiara Badiali, Music Lead, Julie’s Bicycle (@JBgreenmusic / @JuliesBicycle)

More information

Check out the Association of Independent Festivals’ ‘First Festival Campaign’

El Dorado festival 2024

Learn more about Julie’s Bicycle including Music Declares Emergency and Vision 2025

How the cost of living crisis is affecting music festivals (Article, MixMag)

Glastonbury: Octopus energy builds wind turbine on-site (Article, thefestivals.uk)

Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback!

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