Standon Calling, Twisterella and Deer Shed were among the winners at the Independent Festival Awards 2019 in Sheffield.
Organised by the Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF), the November 6 awards ceremony was hosted by actor, writer and comedian Thanyia Moore at 92 Burton Road.
Winners included Standon Calling (Smart Marketing), Deer Shed Festival (Never Mind the Pollocks – an award for best festival artwork) and Twisterella (In On The Ground Floor – an award for forward-thinking booking). Former creative director of Deer Shed Festival Megan Evans was honoured with the inaugural Backstage Hero award, while KOKOKO! won Live Act Of The Year,
AIF CEO Paul Reed said: “The Independent Festival Awards was a fantastic celebration and the awards ceremony felt like it had stepped up a gear with a new host, new categories and outstanding production that enhanced the overall independent festival feel of the evening.
“Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees, all of whom reiterate that the independent festival sector remains at the forefront of innovation and creativity. We’ll continue pushing forward into 2020.”
These awards are an important and relevant celebration of the independent festival sector
Amy Field
PRS For Music
The event followed the first day of AIF’s annual Festival Congress conference. Nominations were put forward to AIF’s 65 member festivals and then determined by a Festival Congress steering group vote.
Amy Field, senior events manager, PRS For Music, added: “These awards are an important and relevant celebration of the independent festival sector and acknowledge the creativity and hard work that goes into producing some of the finest festivals in Europe. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, including KOKOKO!, whose ingenuity and innovative sound won them live act of the year.”
The full list of winners was as follows:
Unique Festival Arena - The Street at Beat-Herder
Live Act Of The Year (In association with PRS For Music) - KOKOKO!
Festival Caterer of the Year (In association with NCASS) - Flavors Of Africa
Smart Marketing - Standon Calling
In On The Ground Floor (In association with Marcato) - Twisterella
Never Mind The Pollocks - Deer Shed Festival
Backstage Hero - Megan Evans
European Festival - Pete The Monkey
