Managing Community Events & Festivals

Community events and festivals reflect and celebrate the community in which they are staged. They can create a sense of pride and a sense of place or identity. They provide for different levels of participation, bringing people together, with volunteers working side by side with professionals. Events and festivals can be a boost to the local economy, attracting visitors and showing them that the area is a great place to live, work and invest.

Organising a community event or festival can be very daunting for individuals and small groups and the process is complex. However, when successful, an event can be very satisfying for everyone involved. Whether your project is one-off or a regular occurrence, the key to success is to plan care¬fully and well in advance.

From idea to fruition

Any idea, however exciting it might seem, must be assessed objectively to establish whether it has “wings”. Events, whatever the scale, usually rely on the goodwill of many people so it is important to get them on board and committed very early on in the planning stage.

Planning a community event

A community event could be an afternoon picnic or a three day festival.  Here are some issues to consider when planning for an event of significance.

Purpose
  • Why is it so important to hold this particular event?
  • Has a demand been indicated and by whom?
  • How precious is your idea? 
  • Are you willing to compromise if other and possibly better ideas arise through the consultations?
Planning

Your research should cover any similar festivals and events that have been delivered regionally, within the State, Australia and even globally. 
What other festivals and events have been held regionally?

  • What time of year is most suitable?
  • Have you identified the key stakeholders and received their input?
  • Have you given yourself a long enough lead time?
  • Have you identified timeframes, milestones and specific tasks that have to be completed?
  • If it is a large event, do you need a feasibility study completed beforehand. This might save money in the long run. See the cooperative feasibility study guide, www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sr58.pdf
  • What will be the benefit for the community?

Find out about Planning Tools and download some templates.