For first-time festival organisers
How to start a music festival
Start small: the site, the licence, the safety plan and the line-up.
How to start a small music festival in the UK: the site, a premises licence or TEN, event safety, booking the line-up and the budget.
Updated 23 October 2026
01 — How to start a music festival
Where to Start a Music Festival
GIGXCHANGE is where UK festival organisers book the line-up direct. 982 artists across 79 cities are on the platform. An organiser books each act for the festival - hear them first, agree the fee and set times in the chat, sign a contract - and keeps every booking for every stage in one place. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Most UK festivals that last started small: a field, a few hundred people, a stage and a line-up of local acts. The ones that did not last usually tried to be big in their first year.
A small festival is a different job from a gig. There is a site to agree, a licence that changes at 500 people, a safety plan the council will ask for, and a line-up of a dozen acts whose set times, travel and kit all need to fit one day.
On GigXchange every act on the bill is heard before they are booked and contracted when they are, with set times and kit written in. The whole line-up sits in one place, the events poster builds the artwork from it, and if an act drops out the week before, GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts - so the organiser can focus on the site, the licence and the safety plan.
| 02Put it on, in stepsFrom an idea to a full room | |
| 03Act feesBudget the acts before you book | |
| 04Rooms for your nightThe venues in our directory | |
| 05Members across the UKThe acts and rooms near you | |
| 06The licence rulesEach with its official source | |
| 07Start smallThe decisions that set the size, the cost and the paperwork. | |
| 08Choosing the right actsWhat to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned. | |
| 09Free tools for promotersFree with a promoter account. | |
| 11QuestionsWhat first-time festival organisers ask | |
| 12Keep exploringThe other guides and the longer reads |
02 — The steps
5 stepsPut it on
| Step 01Find the roomSearch venues by city, capacity and what they host, and message the booker about a date - or use a room you already have. | |
| Step 02Book the actsPost the night free and take applications, or invite ranked acts for your date. Hear each act’s audio and video before you ask. | |
| Step 03Agree it in the chatSettle the fee, set times and kit with each act directly; the offer lands in the same thread. | |
| Step 04Sign the contractEvery booking makes a digital performance agreement, signed by both of you, with a full audit trail. | |
| Step 05Fill the roomTurn the line-up into a poster in one click and list the night free in the gig directory. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. | |
| If plans changeIf the act drops outGX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts near you. The first to accept is booked. |
03 — Act fees
LiveThe price ladder
What does a festival line-up cost? No UK festival fee is published yet - the GX Index needs more festival bookings first. As artist-fee benchmarks for private events on the live GX Index, a 3 to 4 piece band is typically £869 (534 fees); festival fees vary with the slot and the audience.
GX Index UK medians, live - ARTIST fees only, against the Musicians’ Union per-musician minimums. Room hire, sound, staff and promotion come on top and are not in these figures. No UK festival figure is published yet - these are event fees for the same line-ups.
- Private party, solo £354 median · 78 observationsThe MU publishes no solo figure
- Private party, 3 to 4 piece £869 median · 534 observationsMU minimum £668.64 · for 3 players; 4 players: £891.52
- Private party, 5 piece or more £675 median · 50 observationsMU minimum £1,114.40
- Wedding, 5 piece or more £1,489 median · 427 observationsMU minimum £1,114.40
You pay the acts’ fees. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
| GuideYour first event, budgetedBudgets, venue hire and break-even. | |
| ToolRate calculatorA fair fee for your night. | |
| DataGX IndexEvery UK fee table, open data. |
04 — On GigXchange
70 venuesRooms for your night
70 venues are on GigXchange - some with outdoor space or halls for a small festival. Each venue lists its capacity and what it hosts; message the booker, agree the date and the terms, and keep the whole night in one thread. Where do you hold a small music festival? On private land with the owner’s permission, a park with the council’s agreement, or a venue with outdoor space - then the licence and safety plan follow the size.
05 — Members across the UK
Tap a cityActs near you
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
Booking in a city? London · Birmingham · Leeds · Glasgow · Sheffield · Manchester · Bradford · Edinburgh · Liverpool · Bristol · Leicester · Cardiff · every city guide
06 — The licence rules
Checked 22 October 2026What you need
Does a music festival need a licence? An event for fewer than 500 people at all times can run on a temporary events notice; a bigger festival needs a premises licence from the local council, which will expect a safety plan.
| England and Wales500 or more: a premises licenceA TEN covers fewer than 500 people at all times. A bigger event needs a premises licence from the licensing authority - apply well ahead, with a safety plan. | |
| UKPlan the safetyThe Purple Guide is the event industry’s safety reference; HSE sets out the law for events. | |
| England and WalesOne-off events: a TENFor an event outside your licence: fewer than 500 people at all times, including staff, up to 7 days. Give the council at least 10 clear working days' notice (a late TEN: 5). One premises can have up to 15 a year, 21 days in total. | |
| UKYou still need TheMusicLicenceThat is permission to hold the event, not copyright. Playing or performing music in public needs a music licence from PPL PRS. | |
| England and WalesKeep the neighbours on sideYour council can act if noise becomes a statutory nuisance. Agree finish times and volume with the act in the contract. |
| Scotland and NILicensing (Scotland) Act 2005Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing law - check with your council. | |
| ToolLicensing checkerTen questions, a plain-English verdict. |
07 — Start small
Start small
| Under 500 peopleA one-day event that can run on a TEN. | |
| The line-upA headliner who sells tickets, local acts who bring a crowd. | |
| The budgetActs, site, sound, staging, safety, toilets, insurance. | |
| The safety planStewards, first aid, access - the Purple Guide. |
08 — Choosing the acts
Before you book
| Hear the real thingAudio, video and two-way reviews on profiles, where the act has added them - venues review acts and acts review venues. | |
| Find acts by sound and dateSet the date, the budget and the sound, and invite ranked acts that are free that night. | |
| Ask about coverMany venues ask acts for public liability insurance. Musicians’ Union members are covered to £10 million each with their membership. | |
| Agree the kitWho brings the PA, the stage space and the power - written into the contract so nobody guesses on the night. |
| The Purple GuideEvent safety for festivals | |
| HSE - Event safetyThe law for events | |
| Musicians' UnionNational gig rates | |
| PPL PRSTheMusicLicence |
09 — Free tools
7 toolsFor promoters
| DiscoveryFind an ArtistRanked acts for your dates | |
| BookingPost a GigArtists apply to you | |
| ContractsBooking ContractsUK-compliant and e-signed, on every booking | |
| PromotionEvents PosterYour what’s-on, in one click | |
| PromotionFlyer BuilderOn-brand gig flyers, no design skill needed | |
| CoverGX Gig RescueFill a dropout, fast | |
| MoneyInvoice GeneratorSynced to your bookings, paid faster |
See it in action
A look inside GigXchange Mainstage — the members app where artists, venues, agents and promoters manage bookings, messaging, events and payments. Scroll: the phone follows you through the app.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
11 — Questions7 answersHow to start a music festival FAQ
12 — Keep exploring
Go deeper
| How to Become a Music PromoterPut on your first nights and build a following. | |
| How to Start a Club NightDJs, the room, the licence, the crowd. | |
| How to Start an Open Mic NightHost a weekly open mic that lasts. | |
| How to Put On a GigRoom, line-up, budget, tickets. | |
| How to Organise a Charity GigRaise money with a night of live music. | |
| How to Run a Battle of the BandsRules, judging, the bands, the night. | |
| Music Promoter DealsGuarantees, door splits and break-even. | |
| Booking a multi-act line-upThree to eight acts, one bill. | |
| Festivals and multi-stage venuesRunning several stages. | |
| All the promoter guidesEvery kind of night in one place. | |
| Your first eventThe first-timer checklist. | |
| GigXchange for promotersEverything a promoter account does. |
| How cancellations work | |
| The booking fee | |
| Gig rate calculator |
How to start a music festival
How to start a small music festival in the UK: the site, a premises licence or TEN, event safety, booking the line-up and the budget.
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Where to Start a Music Festival
GIGXCHANGE is where UK festival organisers book the line-up direct. 982 artists across 79 cities are on the platform. An organiser books each act for the festival - hear them first, agree the fee and set times in the chat, sign a contract - and keeps every booking for every stage in one place. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Most UK festivals that last started small: a field, a few hundred people, a stage and a line-up of local acts. The ones that did not last usually tried to be big in their first year.
A small festival is a different job from a gig. There is a site to agree, a licence that changes at 500 people, a safety plan the council will ask for, and a line-up of a dozen acts whose set times, travel and kit all need to fit one day.
On GigXchange every act on the bill is heard before they are booked and contracted when they are, with set times and kit written in. The whole line-up sits in one place, the events poster builds the artwork from it, and if an act drops out the week before, GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts - so the organiser can focus on the site, the licence and the safety plan.
Put it on, in steps
From an empty date to a full room - book the acts direct, without an agency.
Find the room
Search venues by city, capacity and what they host, and message the booker about a date - or use a room you already have.
Book the acts
Post the night free and take applications, or invite ranked acts for your date. Hear each act’s audio and video before you ask.
Agree it in the chat
Settle the fee, set times and kit with each act directly; the offer lands in the same thread.
Sign the contract
Every booking makes a digital performance agreement, signed by both of you, with a full audit trail.
Fill the room
Turn the line-up into a poster in one click and list the night free in the gig directory. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
If the act drops out
GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts near you. The first to accept is booked.
Act fees, live
GX Index UK medians, live - ARTIST fees only, against the Musicians’ Union per-musician minimums. Room hire, sound, staff and promotion come on top and are not in these figures. No UK festival figure is published yet - these are event fees for the same line-ups.
What does a festival line-up cost? No UK festival fee is published yet - the GX Index needs more festival bookings first. As artist-fee benchmarks for private events on the live GX Index, a 3 to 4 piece band is typically £869 (534 fees); festival fees vary with the slot and the audience.
- Private party, solo £354 median · 78 observationsThe MU publishes no solo figure
- Private party, 3 to 4 piece £869 median · 534 observationsMU minimum £668.64 · for 3 players; 4 players: £891.52
- Private party, 5 piece or more £675 median · 50 observationsMU minimum £1,114.40
- Wedding, 5 piece or more £1,489 median · 427 observationsMU minimum £1,114.40
You pay the acts’ fees. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. Your first event, budgeted · Work out a budget for your night · Every GX Index fee table · The Musicians’ Union national gig rates
Rooms for your night
70 venues are on GigXchange - some with outdoor space or halls for a small festival. Each venue lists its capacity and what it hosts; message the booker, agree the date and the terms, and keep the whole night in one thread. Where do you hold a small music festival? On private land with the owner’s permission, a park with the council’s agreement, or a venue with outdoor space - then the licence and safety plan follow the size.
Browse the UK venue directory · What a promoter account does · Join as a promoter
Members across the UK
Artists, venues, agents and promoters on GigXchange, by city - the acts and rooms near you.
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
Booking live music in a city? London · Birmingham · Leeds · Glasgow · Sheffield · Manchester · Bradford · Edinburgh · Liverpool · Bristol · Leicester · Cardiff · every city guide
The licence rules
The rules a small festival meets, each with its official source. Checked 22 October 2026.
Does a music festival need a licence? An event for fewer than 500 people at all times can run on a temporary events notice; a bigger festival needs a premises licence from the local council, which will expect a safety plan.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing law - check with your council. Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Not sure which applies? Licensing checker · Compliance checklist · Martyn’s Law check
Start small
The decisions that set the size, the cost and the paperwork.
Choosing the right acts
What to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned.
Who sets the rules: The Purple Guide · HSE - Event safety · Musicians' Union · PPL PRS
Free tools for promoters
Free with a promoter account.
Find an Artist
Pick the empty date, set a 60-second brief, and invite up to 5 ranked best-fit acts — fit scores, fee bands and kit tags attached.
Post a Gig
List an open slot in two minutes — genres, budget, house kit — and take applications from gig-ready artists with verified reviews attached.
Booking Contracts
Every GigXchange booking auto-generates a UK-compliant performance contract — 8 standard clauses, deposit terms, dual e-signatures, instant PDF.
Events Poster
Your upcoming programme becomes a designed poster — ticket QRs on every listing, status badges, your branding. Print, post or publish to your profile.
Flyer Builder
Design striking gig flyers from on-brand templates in minutes — built from your booking details, no design skill needed.
GX Gig Rescue
Broadcast an urgent booking invite to up to 25 available acts near you — last-minute specialists first, first to accept is booked.
Invoice Generator
Create polished invoices in seconds and get paid faster — synced to your bookings, numbered and dated automatically.
See it in action
A look inside GigXchange Mainstage, the members app promoters book in: find the acts, agree the date and fee in the chat, track every booking. Scroll: the phone follows you through the app.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
How to start a music festival FAQ
What first-time festival organisers ask.
More answers: How cancellations work · The booking fee · Gig rate calculator
Your next night, booked
Join free and book the acts direct.