About

Our members cover a broad swathe of the festivals industry, including individual single art-form and multi-arts festivals, festival groupings, individuals, universities and associated organisations.

Our mission

Arts festivals occupy a unique space in their communities: they entertain, inspire and engage their audiences, create pride in their place, and connect people through the power of creativity.

BAFA is a community of arts festival professionals, dedicated to recognising the work of our members and harnessing their potential, supporting festivals to be more sustainable in a challenging cultural climate.

• We encourage connectivity through networking and communication, understanding the unique needs and goals of the festivals we work with.
• We know the challenges festivals face and reassure our members that their problems have been faced by others in our network. We can facilitate connections that will help solve some of these issues.
• We believe that festivals are successful because of the amazing teams that run them, and a BAFA membership is an investment in your people.
• We support arts festival teams to fulfil not only the potential of these organisations, but their own potential as individuals. We’ll help you find new ways to grow and thrive, developing your professional expertise in order to create a sustainable, resilient
• We take a personal approach, meeting our members where they’re at and helping them get where they want to go.
• We’re here to support our members, to advocate for them – and the wider arts festival sector – and to be an extension of their team, sharing our knowledge and expertise.
• We provide a unique space connecting the arts festival sector with academia, enabling research and helping the next generation of festival workers to gain experience and thrive

What we do

We connect arts festivals to create a support network; BAFA members enjoy access to a wide network of their peers as well as the wealth of knowledge and contacts that BAFA has built up over its long history. We facilitate advice and support between members, from our Board of experienced festival professionals, and contacts outside of the festival sector.

Our programme of events provides an opportunity for members and non-members to come together with a range of industry professionals to discuss and debate key issues, as well as building invaluable networks for support.

We work with partners across the UK, and continue to be a voice for the UK in Europe through our active role as the UK hub for the prestigious EFFE project and label (Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe). BAFA is a member of the Creative Industries Federation and we work closely with sister networks, development agencies and lobbying organisations to represent the festivals sector.

Our values

At BAFA, we believe in:

• Building community among arts festival professionals and connecting teams
• Championing the work of our members and advocating for their needs
• The sharing of knowledge and resources among our membership network
• Inspiring members to make space for creativity and finding fresh ideas
• Helping festivals achieve their goals and operate at their chosen level
• Professional development and supporting festival workers to thrive

We hope that you’ll consider joining us and becoming part of our arts festival network – we’re stronger together!

Join us