Agenda item

The Director of Tourism Culture and Economy submits a report providing  Members with an overview of Leicester Riverside Festival, including its history, location, activities, partnerships, and recent development. The report also outlines how the festival has evolved and its current strategic relevance to the city.

The Director of Tourism Culture and Economy submitted a report providing  Members with an overview of Leicester Riverside Festival, including its history,

location, activities, partnerships, and recent development. The report also outlined how the festival has evolved and its current strategic relevance to the

city. Key points to note were as follows:

• The festival was a large, free, family-friendly outdoor event around the River Soar.
• It had grown from a small event to an event that now attracted over 60,000 people.
• The economic impact of the festival was estimated at £3.1m.
• The festival had initially taken place across Bede Park, Western Boulevard, Castle Gardens and the River Soar, but had now expanded on to the De Montfort University (DMU) campus.
• The festival had over 80 performers and over 100 traders.
• The live music stage would now be moving on to Bede Park, featuring local artists and providing a platform for a larger audience.
• The festival included free arts and heritage experiences.
• The festival was inclusive and multi-generational, and reflected the city’s diverse communities.  It was led by the Festivals and Events team and supported by partnerships.
• DMU provided space and venues and an events team.  Students were also becoming involved in programmes and using it as a showcase.
• Leicester Music Board was a new partner.
• There was a wellbeing-focussed arts programme called ‘Bloom’ in collaboration with Bright Spark Arts.
• Heritage Bus tours would be available.
• Outdoor film screenings would take place using DMU screens.
• £30k funding had been received from Arts Council England.  Arts Council funding also provided free outreach workshops which included storytelling events that signposted to the festival.  There was also Arts Council funding for people who wished to be involved in the festival and work with the Festivals and Events team in production.
• Families with complex needs could use quiet/safe spaces.
• The festival was of strategic importance as it was a platform for community engagement, including the Family Hub.
• The festival was important for economic activity as it was a chance for businesses to make money and a chance to promote tourism.  It had enhanced city centre vitality and activity beyond the site, in the city centre could benefit.
• Of the £147k budget, the Council contributed around 24%, the other 76% came from vendors, PRS sponsorship, Arts Council funding and DMU funding.
• The festival brought societal, cultural and economic value to the city, and had the potential to become a significant regional or national festival.

In response to member discussion, the following was noted:

• With regard to issues raised around crowd density, it was noted that there was lots of space on the DMU campus and around the Newarke to expand.  Ambition was subject to resource, but it was hoped to move activity to other areas to help the flow of audiences.  The peak attendance was around 3-5pm, to people could avoid peak times if they wished to avoid crowds.  Hotspots were traditionally where the arts and crafts markets were and around the music stage, the music stage moving to Bede Park would create more audience capacity.  Weather had an impact on footfall.
• In response to points made about events helping to Leicester as a destination, it was noted that other events had taken place, such as Light up Leicester, which had helped to increase footfall in the city, and further events would take place, such as the World Cup Fanzone on Jubilee Square, and the Radio 2 Party in the Park festival on Victoria Park.
• It was suggested that Leicester’s proximity to London could be a selling-point to make it attractive as a destination.
• Cosmopolitan Arts Festival would be incorporated into the fan zone event plans.
• The Council’s contribution to Riverside Festival had remained similar over the last few years.  Mors sponsorship was now being brought in.  If the festival was to continue at the same level, it may be necessary to consider incremental improvements.  It was further noted that increased audience came at an increased security cost and that when money was brought in, it was often spent in areas that could not be seen, such as infrastructure.  It was hoped it could be looked into as to how to get money into artists.
• In response to suggestions surrounding purchasing equipment rather than hiring, and potentially using barriers for sponsorship, it was noted that opportunities to attract capital investment were always being sought and that Arts Council Grants were going into creative programmes.  It was also noted that it was good to have a certain amount of fixed infrastructure, but this would need storing.  In response to a suggestion that Council-owned equipment could be hired out when not being used, it was explained that rules around the use of public funds would mean that it could not be offered at less than the commercial rate.

AGREED:

1)    That the reports be noted.

2)    That comments made by members of this commission to be taken into account by the lead officers.