If you've always wanted to bring your local community together then you may be in the process of planning the ultimate community festival. This is somewhere that will bring everyone together, from kids to pets. It could involve fairground rides, eateries, and local businesses selling their stock. But if you have never planned a festival before then you may not know where to even start?
Apply For Licences
When you wish to host a community festival then you will need to apply for all the necessary paperworks and insurance. These will likely come from the local council where you are holding the festival, or hoping to host the festival. You may have to present your idea to them, in order to get the go ahead. However, they are likely to approve as they love bringing the community together while also making some money. Be sure to ask what you need as you don’t want to get in trouble further down the line.
Find A Location
Where are you going to host your event? This is something you need to ask yourself when planning the most amazing event. There are only a few places that could possibly host a great event like a festival. This could be a large open space like a park or even a cordoned off part of the street. If you are going to be using a street then you will need to apply to the council so they can shut the road. For this to go ahead, there needs to be road signs in place informing drivers of the plans to close the road.
Hire The Pros
Something else you might want to do is hire the pros to ensure your event is a success. There are many pros out there, from stall builders to sound and lighting experts. Make a list and ensure you get in touch with them prior to your event starting. The last thing you want is to miss someone off the list and not have them on the dat of the festival. This could change everything and something may be missing because of your errors.
Market The Event
If you are hoping for the local community to show up then you will want to market your event the right way. This can be shared in a multiple of ways, from online using social media to sticking posters around the local neighborhoods. You want as many people to see this as possible, word of mouth will also work wonders for you here. It can be a wonderful way for friends and close family members to show up and have a great day together. If you aren’t too sure how to go about this, then you could hire a marketing executive who will handle everything. They may work alone or even have a team who helps. They will create posts for social media and posters to hang on notice boards. Sometimes the old marketing techniques really are the best.
Entertainment
Every community event needs entertainment, that's the whole reason they'll be attending. You might want to hire local bands or even specialists to give talks to the crowds. You could rent out stalls to local small businesses for people to browse too. This will keep their attention for as long as the event is on for. You can also do a mixture of everything as people will likely want to wander around checking out all the stall holders you have there.
Food & Drink
Lastly, what are you going to be serving at the festival? Typically these will last all day for at least four to five hours. You can’t expect people to wander around, stand in potential heat, and not have anything to eat and drink. Contact local restaurants or food trucks to see if they would like to be a part of your community festival. This is all great custom for them. If your community enjoys what they eat then you are giving a food company more customers. Think about what people enjoy and go from there. It could be a traditional fish and chips van, an ice cream truck, or even a local Indian restaurant. There are plenty of possibilities, you just have to find those who are willing and happy to attend
