Features
UK Festival Awards 2018: Arctangent, 2000Trees & Download Among Winners
Jordan Curtis Hughes – Kelela on stage at All Points East Festival 2018
The new AEG festival won Lineup of the Year at the UK Festival Awards
The 15th edition of the UK Festival Awards went down at London’s Troxy, Dec. 6. It was a lively and loud event, and the night’s host Doc Brown moved through the 21 categories fast.
Things only slowed down when this year’s Outstanding Contribution Award winner was honored: Sarah Nulty, the former Tramlines director, who passed away in summer, just days before the biggest Tramlines edition to date.
The tributes made by Nulty’s former friends and colleagues were the only speeches of the night, and had the entire crowd of 700 live events professionals present was on its feet.
Arctangent (Bristol), 2000Trees (Cheltenham) and Download (Leicestershire) festivals won in the small, medium and major festival categories, respectively.
Hungary’s Sziget Festival was crowned Best Overseas Festival, while Timber Festival was chosen as the best new market entrant in 2018. Manchester’s Parklife was crowned Best Metropolitan Festival.
Broadwick Live, which just unveiled the new location for Field Day Festival in London, took home to Promoter Of The Year award. CODA was crowned Agency Of The Year.
AEG’s All Points East, which premiered in London this year, was awarded for Best Lineup.
Jo Singh – 2000Trees 2018
Best Medium Sized Festival at the UK Festival Awards 2018
The Innovation Award went to Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire for its sustainability practices. Festival No.6, which will take a break after this year’s edition in Portmeirion, Wales, won the Best Hospitality category.
Best Concession went to the Cheezy Vinyl Bar, Kendal Calling won Marketing Campaign of the Year, and Elrow Town London took home Best Festival Production of 2018.
The Greener Festival Award went to Wood Festival in Oxfordshire, while Barn On The Farm, which takes place in Gloucester, won The Grassroots Festival Award.
Suffolk’s Latitude Festival was picked by the jury as the best festival for families, while Live At Leeds was selected as Best Festival For Emerging Talent.
All winners and nominees of the UK Festival Awards 2018:
The Innovation Award:
2000trees (for its fully cashless festival with PlayPass)
Bearded Theory (for its Food Bank Holiday)
Breaking Bands (for its Festival Foundation)
Festival Safe (for its festival information website)
Shambala Festival (for its sustainability practices)
WOMAD (for the d&b Soundscape Stage)
Best Hospitality:
Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park
Cambridge Rock Festival
Download Festival
Festival No.6
HowTheLightGetsIn
Stonedeaf Festival
Concession of the Year:
Barnaby Sykes Pie Maker
Beetle Juice
Cheezy Vinyl Bar
Happy Maki
The Hippy Chippy
Wingmans
Marketing Campaign of the Year:
Bluedot Festival
Camp Wildfire
Eastern Electrics
Fly Open Air
Kendal Calling
Splendour Festival
Best Festival Production:
All Points East
Eastern Electrics
Elrow Town London
Isle of Wight Festival
Latitude Festival
Parklife
Agency of the Year:
13 Artists
ATC Live
CAA
Coda Music Agency
Primary Talent
UTA
The Brand Activation Award:
Corona Sunsets at Boardmasters
Hells Parlour at Lost Village
Old Mout Cider Kiwi Camp
Smirnoff Equalising Music
Superdry Sounds at Field Day
The Strongbow Yard
Lineup of the Year:
All Points East
ArcTanGent
End of the Road Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
Latitude Festival
Parklife
Best Non-Music Festival:
Camper Jam
Camp Wildfire
Cheltenham Science Festival
HowTheLightGetsIn
The National Festival of Making
Taste of London
Best Festival For Emerging Talent:
Black Deer Festival
Dot to Dot Festival
Festival No.6
FOCUS Wales
Live at Leeds
Liverpool Sound City
Promoter of the Year:
AEG Presents / Goldenvoice
Broadwick Live
DF Concerts
Festival Republic
From the Fields
The Futuresound Group
Best Family Festival:
Bearded Theory
Deer Shed Festival
Just So Festival
Latitude Festival
The National Festival of Making
Victorious Festival
The Greener Festival Award:
Boomtown Fair
Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park
Cambridge Folk Festival
Fire in the Mountain
The Green Gathering
Greenbelt
Kew the Music
Manchester Pride
Wood Festival
The Grassroots Festival Award:
Barn on the Farm
Breaking Bands Festival
Liverpool Calling
Osfest Derbyshire
Woo Fest
Zombie Fest
Best Overseas Festival:
Annie Mac Presents: Lost & Found
Hideout Festival
Pol’and’Rock Festival
Snowbombing
Sziget Festival
Tomorrowland
Best New Festival:
All Points East
Arcadia London
Jika Jika! Festival
Magical Festival
Neighbourhood Weekender
Timber Festival
Best Metropolitan Festival:
Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park
Jika Jika! Festival
Macmillan Fest
Parklife
Victorious Festival
Wireless Festival
Best Small Festival:
ArcTanGent
Electric Fields
Neighbourhood Festival
When In Manchester
Woo Fest
Zombie Fest
Best Medium-Sized Festival:
2000trees
Beat-Herder
Bluedot Festival
Cambridge Folk Festival
Kendal Calling
Rewind Festival
Best Major Festival:
Boardmasters Festival
Download Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
Latitude Festival
Parklife
TRNSMT Festival