The 1870s was a time of competition. The Football Association was born in 1873, Wimbledon in 1877 and Test Matches in 1878. This spirit of competition spilled over into the arts and local performance events sprang up across the UK.

The first recorded festival was the Workington Festival in Cumbria in 1882 - still running to this day. Meanwhile in London John Curwen started the Stratford and East London Festival - another festival still flourishing today.

In 1904 Lady Mary Trefusis and Mary Wakefield formed an 'Association of Competition Festivals'. By 1907 they had attracted over 70 members with some festivals started by famous names like Leith Hill Musical Festival begun by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1905.

In 1921, by the time the Association became The British Federation of Festivals there were many famous names involved in the festivals movement including Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Adrian Boult, Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells and Sir Granville Bantock, whose support was a vital factor in the strong start of the Festival Movement.