It’s getting Hot In Here

Extreme heat and prolonged drought made their impact felt across Europe during the past festival season. While such conditions have always occurred in some regions, their increasingly widespread and intense effects are creating a new reality for festivals across the continent. With climate change making heatwaves a recurring challenge, outdoor events must rethink how they operate, adapt and prepare for the future.

From production and logistics to safety and audience experience, rising temperatures are affecting every aspect of festival management. Are changes to festival calendars and schedules inevitable? Can traditional festival dates and summer touring periods still be considered untouchable? And are changing weather patterns and growing uncertainties already influencing ticket-buying behaviour?

Bringing together experts from across the different departments of festival management, this panel explores the challenges, strategies and decisions shaping the future of the festival season - and asks what it will take to keep festivals safe, sustainable and thriving in an increasingly hot world.