Festival Crew Planning Guide: Build, Operations and Breakdown

Festivals run on people. This guide covers what to plan for each phase so your crew numbers match the site.

By Stage Hands UK · Practical guide

Build phase

Site build covers fencing, barriers, staging, infrastructure and storage areas. It usually needs the biggest physical effort and the most plant and forklift support. Start earlier than you think, because weather and ground conditions slow the work.

Show days

Operations crew handle stage changeovers, backstage support, runners, barrier teams, site tidying and welfare. Shifts are long, so plan rotas so that people have proper breaks.

Breakdown

The get-out is often the hardest phase. Everyone is tired, the site may be muddy and the deadline for handing the field back is fixed. Book more crew than you would for a normal day, and brief them clearly.

Things people forget

Crew welfare: water, food and shelter.

Clear accreditation and who reports to whom.

A named crew chief for each area.

Parking, transport and site access for crew.

A wet weather plan.

What to send your crew supplier

The dates for each phase, the site location and access, the number of areas, the skills needed (stage, riggers, forklift) and the contact on site.

Crew roles on a festival site

Stage crew for each stage, barrier and perimeter crews, loaders for artist and supplier arrivals, runners for the production office, forklift and plant operators for logistics, and site crews for tidying and waste. Each area benefits from a named lead.

Typical timeline

Build usually runs for days before the event. Show days run to the festival schedule. Breakdown follows, and the handback of the field has a fixed date. Plan crew for each phase separately, because numbers and skills change from one to the next.

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