SmoothTour organiser guide
Festival Entertainment Ideas for UK Events
A festival programme has to do more than fill a timetable. It gives the event its atmosphere, creates reasons to explore and helps audiences choose how to spend their time. Start with the shape of your site and the experience you want to create, then build a varied programme around it.
Think in experiences, not just performance slots
Map the festival as a visitor journey. What do people encounter at the entrance, where are natural gathering points, and which areas need a reason to explore? A stage or arena can provide a shared focal point, while roaming performers can animate routes and pop-up activities can invite people to pause. The programme should help the audience understand where to go without making every experience feel compulsory.
Define the festival’s character before selecting acts. A family-focused community festival, a food event and a multi-day arts programme need different balances of spectacle, participation and quieter moments. Consider the audience mix, event hours, noise expectations and the activities already on site. Entertainment should support the event’s identity and work alongside its other features.
Create a simple programme framework: headline moments, recurring performances, drop-in activities and ambient entertainment. This gives you a way to compare ideas and spot gaps. If all the most prominent items happen at once, or if a large part of the site is inactive, the programme may need adjusting.
Combine fixed and roaming entertainment
Scheduled shows are useful when you want to bring people together for a shared moment. Depending on the festival and available space, this might be a stage performance, an arena act, a visual show or a demonstration. Choose the location for sightlines, audience capacity, sound and safe access, not simply because it is an empty patch on the site plan.
Walkabout entertainment offers a different kind of encounter. Street performers, characters, circus performers, puppets or bubble entertainment may suit routes and informal gathering spaces, subject to the performer’s actual format and requirements. Roaming work can help bridge quiet periods, but it still needs room to move and a plan for audience clustering. Agree routes or zones in advance and keep access ways clear.
A fixed show and a roaming act can support one another if their timing and sound do not conflict. Avoid sending a mobile performer through an area where a seated audience needs quiet, or scheduling a high-volume show beside a sensitive activity without checking. Coordinate performers with site operations and communicate the plan to stewards.
Give audiences ways to take part
Interactive activities can turn spectators into participants. Workshops, circus skills, creative sessions or other hands-on formats may appeal to people who want to try something rather than watch a performance. Set expectations clearly: some activities are drop-in, some may have limited capacity, and some have age or supervision guidance. Confirm the details with the provider rather than implying access that has not been agreed.
Plan the practical experience around participation. Where will people queue, wait and leave? Is there room for wheelchairs and pushchairs? Who explains how the activity works, and how will a busy period be managed? A well-positioned sign and a visible host can make an activity easier to approach. Think about shade or shelter if the activity is exposed to weather.
Balance energetic and lower-key options. Visitors may welcome somewhere to pause between headline moments, while families may appreciate activities available across a broad part of the day. A range of formats makes the festival more flexible without requiring every visitor to follow one itinerary.
Programme for flow, sound and capacity
Use a site map and timetable together. Estimate how long it takes to walk between programme areas and leave time for audiences to arrive. Stagger popular items and take account of food service, scheduled talks, ceremonies and other draws. A practical timetable includes setup, sound checks, reset and contingency time, not only the advertised performance duration.
Sound can travel further outdoors than expected, especially in open spaces. Check the relationship between stages, activity zones, neighbours and any event areas that need conversation or quiet. Confirm sound arrangements with the venue and supplier and include them in the wider operations plan. Do not assume a performance can operate without technical equipment or that equipment will be provided.
Think about what happens when an audience gathers. Decide how capacity and viewing are managed, how routes stay open and who can communicate a change. For family events, communicate where children should be supervised and whether an activity has specific participation guidance.
Make a realistic weather and access plan
Outdoor festivals are exposed to changing conditions. Ask suppliers what conditions and surfaces matter for their act and what alternatives may be possible. Agree who makes a decision if weather or ground conditions become unsuitable, how that decision is communicated and what the contractual terms say. Avoid promising visitors that an activity will proceed in all conditions.
Provide clear access information: load-in times, vehicle routes, parking or unloading arrangements, site contact and the location of the activity area. Check that routes can support the equipment involved and do not conflict with public access. Identify the event team member responsible for meeting each supplier and resolving on-the-day questions.
Use your venue’s procedures and event risk assessment to address emergency routes, audience management, temporary structures, trip hazards and other relevant risks. Confirm responsibilities for barriers, power, sound, weather cover and stewarding in writing.
Brief suppliers and keep the programme coherent
A strong enquiry includes the festival date and location, event hours, audience, site layout, available performance zones, preferred format, timing and budget guidance. Explain whether you are seeking a headline draw, roaming activity or a workshop. Share known constraints and make clear which details are provisional. This helps suppliers respond to the actual brief rather than guess what the event needs.
SmoothTour is a discovery platform for event suppliers. Organisers can browse independently or submit one event brief via the concierge; relevant suppliers may respond directly with availability or a quote. Responses are not guaranteed and bookings are agreed directly with suppliers. The service is free for organisers and does not add booking commission.
Once you have selected entertainment, make one joined-up running order and share the relevant information with the site team. Reconfirm timings, access, contacts, setup and contingency arrangements before the festival. Explore festival entertainment options or send your requirements through the concierge.