Festival Focus

Brief - Capacity build community-led Cultural Arts festivals

Appointed by CIDA to design, deliver and develop “Festival Focus”, a capacity building programme created that optimises the infrastructure of London’s main BME community led festivals to put them on the Olympic Cultural Calendar and to ensure their sustainability thereafter.

The programme started in 2006. It has developed from supporting a core group of 15 festival organisations to suppoting a network of 70 festival producers and production companies through 1-2-1 sessions, training workshops, networking events, industry seminars, quarterly newsletters, sign postering and lobbying.


Programme participant quotes

“I know that being a part of this programme has greatly increased my chances of being on the London 2012 cultural calendar", Taste Newham

“The programme has orientated us all into seeing the benefits of working collaboratively and the weakening effect of unnecessary rivalries”, Filmville

“The programme has given us the tools to be more strategic in our business planning. It has made us look at our organisational structure with more of a professional attitude”, Hackney Youth Carnival