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AIF Festival Congress to become invite-only in 2026
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has confirmed that its Festival Congress will operate as an invite-only event in 2026, citing sustained growth and increased demand in recent years.
The annual B2B conference for independent festival organisers in the UK will return to Bristol Beacon on Thursday 5 February 2026.
Those wishing to attend are required to submit an expression of interest via the Festival Congress website.
Festival Congress brings together independent festival organisers, their teams, key supporting organisations and festival suppliers.
The 2026 edition will host up to 400 delegates for a full day of conference activity, followed by an evening networking event. Attendance is limited to independent festival organisers, selected partners and accredited suppliers.
The delegate list for 2026 is already being populated from within AIF’s festival and supplier membership and includes representatives from festivals such as Field Maneuvers, Heal Festival, Nozstock, Shambala, Show of Hands, Streets Eats and Beats, Valley Fest, The Fair, Wild Paths Festival and Y Not.
Conference sessions will cover topics including event payments, an industry roundtable hosted by the LIVE Trust, extended marketing and operations breakouts, and a live recording of the When Sh*t Goes Wrong At Events podcast.
Activity will continue on Friday 6 February at BIMM Bristol, with a dedicated connection session designed to facilitate meetings between festivals, suppliers and a selected group of 20 emerging professionals over brunch.
Commenting on the event, AIF CEO John Rostron said: “Festival Congress grows in popularity every year and has become the most important industry event for independent festival organisers and promoters across the country. It is the physical embodiment of what AIF does - that is bringing the independent festival community together so that they can share, learn and lift each other up. We look forward to welcoming the best of the sector to Bristol once again in February, for what is sure to be another incredibly insightful gathering of like minds.”
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) is the UK’s national not-for-profit festival trade association, representing 170 UK music festivals.