WHO WE ARE

President: Cllr Bernard Atha CBE

President Emeritus: Lord Moser KCB, CBE, FBA

Vice-Presidents:

Dance
Dame Beryl Grey DBE
Sir Anthony Dowell CBE

Festivals
Mrs Marilyn R Stewart

Music
Simon May
Sir David Willcocks CBE, MC

Speech
Ms Sue Jenkins
Sir Donald Sinden CBE

WHAT WE DO

Our Work Today

There are over 300 festivals across the UK and Ireland who are affiliated to The British & International Federation of Festivals. There are also affiliated festivals or festival organisations in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We are keen to extend this Global Festival Network and welcome further enquiries.

Some festivals have a wide range of music, speech and dance classes, whilst others are more specialist - perhaps choral, theatre or stage dance. Whatever the discipline, they all offer a platform for performance, and in 2004 there were over one million performers, 80% of whom were under 18 and around 5 million audience.

A festival provides many things: the stimulus of preparing for a public occasion; the opportunity to hear the work of others; and the chance to receive advice from a professional adjudicator ... someone whom that performer may never have the opportunity to meet in any other way.

Festivals bring forward the specially gifted. Many famous names found their first platform at their local festival and then perhaps move further afield, presenting their work always to a fresh audience.

Festivals also develop the educated audiences of the future - those who will keep the arts alive in years to come.

The British and International Federation of Festivals has been moving ahead through the encouragement of new work. More and more festivals have wanted to offer classes to suit the work going on in their communities. Wherever a local festival defines a need, we are willing to give advice and will try to find a way of giving practical assistance.

The Federation forms a unique interface between the amateur and professional worlds in the performing arts. Its educational value is of tremendous importance in the development of young people, promoting and honing a range of artistic and social skills which they will find invaluable throughout their lives. Some will go on to become the professional musicians, dancers, actors or arts managers of the future. Others will continue to give pleasure as active, gifted amateur performers, and all will enlarge that educated audience which is such a vital contributor to the strength of the arts and arts education for coming generations.

INFORMATION

1. •Festivals House, the HQ in Macclesfield, answers queries from members and general public
   

2. •The Year Book provides details of all 300+ member festivals including dates, classes and a local contact in each case
   

3. •Member festivals also receive lists of recommended adjudicators, a members' pack and update service
   
   

SUPPORT

1. •Advice and help, recommended rates and terms
   

2. •Blanket agreements on insurance, copyright, performing rights and public liability requirements
   

3. •Links with courses via University of Leeds and Trinity/Guildhall, London
   
   

EDUCATION

1. •Recruitment and Induction Scheme for the accreditation of new adjudicators
   

2. •Local help for new festivals (through Federation Area Councils)
   
   

COMMUNICATION FORUMS

1. •Regional meetings
   

2. •Annual national conference
   

3. •Newsletter
   
   

PROMOTION

1. •Raising the profile of the Amateur Festival Movement locally and nationally
   

2. •Encouraging financial support for individual festivals and the movement at large
   

3. •Promoting the amateur performing arts across the three disciplines of Music, Dance and Speech