SERIES: Launch a Summer Music Festival

S1-S3

60–90 minutes

Launch a Summer Music Festival: Research the Perfect Line-Up

A festival line-up is a promise to the audience. It needs stars, discovery, variety and a running order that feels like an experience rather than a playlist. You will research artists and real festival schedules before programming a believable multi-stage line-up. By the end of this challenge you will: Create line-up criteria from the […]

Launch a Summer Music Festival: Research the Perfect Line-Up

Your Mission

Act as festival programmer and build a line-up that fulfils the promise in your founder brief.

You will create programming criteria, research artists, study real festival schedules and solve a multi-stage clash before publishing the line-up.

The Shape of This Challenge

Discover

✏️ ️ Notice & question

Explore

️ Investigate & test

Create

✏️ Make & communicate

Reflect

️ Think & apply

Discover

Start with the audience promise rather than your personal favourites.

Step 1

Program for the Audience, Not Yourself

️ Programming criteria · 8–10 mins

We are learning to define what the line-up needs to achieve for the festival audience.

A strong line-up balances excitement, discovery, variety, flow and the identity promised in the founder brief.

Your Task

Review your founder brief.
Create five line-up criteria such as audience fit, genre balance, discovery, representation, stage energy or realism.
Rank the criteria from most to least important.
Write one choice you might personally enjoy but reject because it fails the brief.

I can create clear criteria for judging artist choices.

→ This gives your artist research a consistent decision framework.

Critical ThinkingResearchAudience Awareness

Step 2

Build the Artist Research List

✏️ Research table · 10–12 mins

We are learning to collect relevant information before building the running order.

You can use real artists, fictional/local acts or a mixture, but every choice needs a role in the programme.

Your Task

Research at least ten possible acts.
Record genre/style, audience fit, likely billing level and one reason to book each.
Label each headliner, mid-bill, discovery/local or special feature.
Remove at least two acts that do not strengthen the concept.

I can build a researched shortlist and justify curation decisions.

→ This creates the pool for your stage programming.

ResearchCritical ThinkingOrganisation

Explore

Use real scheduling evidence and make trade-offs visible.

Step 3

Study How Real Festivals Build Flow

Choose your route · 12–15 mins

We are learning to analyse how festival schedules balance stages, time and audience movement.

Programming is a sequence, not just a list.

Your Task

Choose one or two real festival schedules.
Complete one research route.
Identify how stages differ and how energy/billing changes through the day.
Record one scheduling pattern you will apply.

⚡ Quick Track

Study one real festival day schedule. Identify stage purpose, headline timing and one programming pattern.

Dig Deeper

Compare two schedules. Look at clashes, genre grouping, discovery stages and how the biggest acts are distributed.

I can use real festival scheduling evidence to improve programme flow.

→ This gives your final line-up professional logic.

ResearchCritical ThinkingInformation Evaluation

Step 4

Solve the Clash Problem

️ Timetable challenge · 10–12 mins

We are learning to balance competing audience needs when building a multi-stage schedule.

Every timetable creates trade-offs: two popular acts may overlap, stages need changeover time and audiences need reasons to move.

Your Task

Create at least two stages with distinct purposes.
Place your acts into a simple running order.
Identify one difficult clash or programming trade-off.
Change the schedule and explain why the new version is stronger.

I can create a coherent multi-stage schedule and resolve one programming conflict.

→ This becomes the final line-up structure.

Problem SolvingOrganisationCritical Thinking

Create & Share

Publish a line-up that is exciting, coherent and explainable.

Step 5

Publish the Festival Line-Up

✏️ Curate · Create · 25–35 mins

We are learning to communicate a line-up that feels exciting, balanced and true to the festival concept.

Your output should show who plays where and why the programme works.

Your Task

Include at least ten acts across two or more stages.
Show headline, mid-bill and discovery roles.
Use one scheduling insight from real festival research.
Explain two choices that directly serve the audience brief.
Choose one output below.

Festival Line-Up Poster

1 page · complete line-up + 100–140 word curator note

⏱ 25–30 mins

Present the public-facing line-up and briefly explain the programming logic.

Programming Pitch

4 slides · maximum 30 words per slide

⏱ 30–35 mins

Show audience criteria, artist mix, stage design and key scheduling decisions.

Festival Running Order

1 page · multi-stage timetable + 120–160 words

⏱ 30–35 mins

Build the operational line-up and explain the most important clash or flow decision.

I can create a researched, multi-stage festival programme with clear curation logic.

→ This is your finished mission output.

ResearchCreativityCommunication

Step 6

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

️ Think or discuss · 5–8 mins

We are learning to reflect on curation as a balance of creativity, evidence and constraints.

Next you will make the event physically believable by planning location, transport and the visitor journey.

Your Task

Answer the prompts.
Name one act you rejected and why.
Write one visitor need the site/location must support.

Reflect

Which programming decision was hardest to make?

Apply

Where else is curation used in media, culture or business?

Look Forward

How might recommendation data or AI influence festival programming without replacing human judgement?

I can explain why a successful line-up is designed as an experience, not just a list.

→ Your programme now feeds directly into site and visitor planning.

ReflectionResearchProblem Solving

Dex AI Study Partner

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TOOLKIT

Choose Your Tools

Use the tools available to you. The quality of the thinking, research and audience experience matters more than a particular app.

Research

Use artist websites, streaming charts, venue/festival listings or reputable music coverage. Record why each act fits the audience.

Organise

Use a spreadsheet or table for artists, genre, stage, time and role in the line-up.

Create

Use a line-up poster, programming deck or short curator pitch.

Educator / Parent Notes

Age, Stage and Prior Learning: Designed for S1–S3. Learners may use real or fictional acts; realistic fee research is not required.

Before You Start: Keep research school-safe and focus on audience fit, genre, billing and flow rather than celebrity gossip.

How to Open This: Ask: “Could a line-up full of brilliant artists still make a bad festival?”

Scheduling: Steps 1–4 need 35–45 minutes; Step 5 needs 25–35 minutes.

If a Pupil Gets Stuck: Provide an artist shortlist and two stages. Let learners programme eight acts.

For Fast Finishers: Ask learners to build a second schedule for a different audience or justify one deliberate clash.

Marking Guidance: Look for researched choices, coherent stage identities, audience fit and evidence of problem-solving in the timetable.

Launch a Summer Music Festival: Research the Perfect Line-Up

Launch a Summer Music Festival: Research the Perfect Line-Up

Discover

Program for the Audience, Not Yourself

Build the Artist Research List

Explore

Study How Real Festivals Build Flow

Solve the Clash Problem

Create & Share

Publish the Festival Line-Up

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

Show What You Have Learned

Research

Organise

Create

Show What You Have Learned

Research

Organise

Create

TOOLKIT

Research

Organise

Create

Educator / Parent Notes

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