Member Article

Lindisfarne Festival offers festivalgoers the chance to curate 2018 line-up as part of major crowdfunding campaign

Following a successful Lindisfarne Festival 2017, which saw a 38% increase in attendees from the previous year and a 3500+ strong crowd, organisers are giving festivalgoers and businesses an opportunity to get more involved and shape the future of the Northumberland music & arts festival by launching an exciting crowdfunding campaign for the 2018 festival.

The Crowdfunder campaign, which goes live at 7pm on Tuesday 19th September with an initial fundraising target of £70k aims to raise up to £150k by November this year through a range of ticket sales, donations & sponsorship packages. The funding will enable organisers to develop and grow the event further, as they set their sights on landing bigger named acts and more artistic delights for next year’s festival at Beal Farm, which will take place from 30th Aug -2nd September 2018.

Offering festivalgoers the benefit of discounted 2018 ticket packages as well as a selection of other quirky rewards, the crowdfunding will help to firmly secure the future of the independent North East festival, in an economic climate where similar events across the region are failing to get over the line.

A range of tickets will be available via Crowdfunder, ranging from ‘Early Worm’ and ‘Early Bird’ deals (with up to 25% off standard ticket prices), to limited edition merchandise and special 3-year season tickets. In addition, the festival is offering up a number of unique and quirky ‘money can buy’ packages such as a seat on the ‘lineup voting panel’, which will give 5 festivalgoers the opportunity to help curate the 2018 line up; a meet and greet with a band of your choice and a chance to become a Lindisfarne Festival ‘Wall of Fame’ member (smile for your photo which will literally go down in history!). Other weekend offers include ‘Boozy Weekend’ tickets, ‘All-Inclusive’ food and drink and lavish ‘Private Party’ packages and an exclusive ‘Lindisfarne Lovers’ package (complete with glamping, massages, a guitar serenade, and a romantic post-festival Sunday lunch at the Barn at Beal or Lindisfarne Inn).

If luxury living is more your thing, you might be tempted by the ‘Ultimate Festival Weekender’ package for 2 including VIP tickets and first class rail travel, a glamping bell tent with all the furnishings, complimentary drinks and meals vouchers, holistic treatments in the Sanctuary and a meet and greet with a band of your choice! Sponsorship and business incentives will also be on offer for backers of the campaign, including opportunities to sponsor the main Dance Tent and host the summer festival warm-up party.

Conleth Maenpaa, Founder of Lindisfarne Festival commented; “The feedback from this year’s festival has been nothing short of outstanding and we can’t wait to bring Lindisfarne Festival back to Beal Farm for the 4th year in 2018. Our Crowdfunder will help us make sure that we come back stronger again whilst giving our festivalgoers the chance to secure some great ticket rewards and really get involved in the festival’s development.”

Overlooking Holy Island, the festival for over 18s provides a real celebration of music and the arts, with fun, togetherness and nature being at the core of the event’s identity. This year, the 3 day camping festival played host to over 100 acts across 7 stages, with Scottish indie-rockers The View closing the mainstage on Friday night followed by The Fratellis on the Saturday night.

Conleth added; “Whilst we’re definitely keen to retain our much-loved boutique festival vibe, we do want to continuously take things up a notch in terms of the event programming, site design and our lineup. In time, we’d love to secure a headline act of Glastonbury proportions… Imagine – Guns & Roses or Foo Fighters playing to an intimate audience overlooking Holy Island, that would be the ultimate dream! We can’t do this on our own though, we need support from the community in order to continue to develop what we whole-heartedly believe could become the best small festival in the UK. We strongly urge people to pledge to buy their 2018 tickets early so they can take advantage of the cheaper prices and so we can start booking the best acts, crack on with planning and raise the bar further for next year’s festival.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nina Walton .