Festival & Carnival Lab
Supporting the next generation of Black professionals in the live events sector
Festival & Carnival Lab is an award-winning professional development programme aimed at nurturing the next generation of event producers by providing them with the tools, insights, and practical experience needed to thrive in the live events industry.
Designed to tackle the stark lack of representation in the live events sector, Festival Lab is specifically for 18-35 year-olds from the Black community with some knowledge or experience of events, and provides training, work placements and the chance to develop professional networks, with the ultimate aim of promoting equity and change within the industry.
Every year Festival & Carnival Lab recruits a cohort through an open callout to attend a free 8-week course running from March to May which covers all aspects of live events, from licensing to event production, sound and lighting, to communications.
Festival & Carnival Lab has exposed me to loads of roles which require skill sets that I wasn’t aware of [and] opportunities that I might be a good fit for. Also a [professional] network, potential jobs, employers, and gigs to work for. [It’s] given me hope that my work life can look different to the one that I’ve got. It feels like I’ve been introduced into a space in my life where I can thrive.”
Romaine Smith, 2025 cohort
It… gave me the confidence to take up space that I initially would have shied away from due to the massive representation gap and imposter syndrome.”
Tina Maina, 2025 cohort
About the project
Festival & Carnival Lab aims to tackle the stark underrepresentation of Black professionals in the live events sector, in which less than 0.1% of workers come from these communities.
The programme was created by in 2023 in London by events company Continental Drifts, Pax Nindi CEO of Global Carnivalz, and events professional Andrea Mahoney, who is now Bristol Beacon Creative Skills and Studio Manager. In 2025 Festival & Carnival Lab expanded to Bristol led by Andrea with support from Arts Council England, the LLDC and Bristol Beacon. Festival & Carnival Lab has grown a broad network of partners, enabling participants to benefit from placements at top UK festivals and events.
Festival Lab is designed to support participants beyond the course to secure future opportunities and development. Alumni of the course have gone on to gain ongoing work at placement organisations such as Glastonbury Festival, Shambala and We Out Here festival, and through a partnership with City of Bristol College there is the opportunity to gain a vocational Level 3 qualification in Festival Production which is the only course in the UK to be endorsed by Glastonbury Festival.
In 2025, Festival & Carnival Lab won Best Accessibility and Inclusion Initiative at the National Outdoor Events Association Awards, as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Access All Areas Awards.
What to expect
The 8-week course will be delivered across 2-hour weekly sessions every Thursday evening from March to May 2026 at Bristol Beacon covering topics including:
- Event production
- Programming and Stage Design
- Construction, H&S and build
- Carnivals
- Touring and Show advancing
- Technical Production – Sound and lighting
- Event delivery
Sessions are delivered by course leaders and professionals from leading events organisations. Previous years have featured guest speakers from Boomtown Festival, Shangri-La – Glastonbury, Love Supreme, and Bristol City Council.
What you’ll gain
The programme is designed for participants to gain critical knowledge and understanding through the 8-weeks of theoretical learning, followed by a series of real-world placements to put learning into practice.
Over the course of the experience you will:
- Learn how to stage manage, work in production and be an artist liason
- Develop basic technical and lighting skills
- Experience working with artists, event professionals and teams
- Develop your interpersonal skills and learn how to network
- Gain confidence in your practice and experience in new areas
- Improve your employability and access new career opportunities
- Be part of a growing community and gain a group of professional peers
Placements
After the initial course, participants are supported to gain real-world experience using the skills they’ve learned through a range of professional placements.
Previous placements have included Above the Noise and Simple Things Festival at Bristol Beacon, Glastonbury – Shangri-La and West Holts, Love Supreme, St Pauls Carnival and Shambala, among several others.
Showcase event
Following placements, the cohort works together to produce their own Showcase event hosted at Bristol Beacon putting the skills that they have learnt over the course into practice.
The group are responsible for managing the budget, booking the artists, marketing, ticket management and running the event on the night.
How to apply
Application guidance
Before applying to take part in Festival & Carnival Lab 2026, please ensure you have considered the following:
- You must attend the full course schedule, running every Thursday from 19 March to 7 May 2026, starting from 7pm to 9pm in person at Bristol Beacon (BS1 5AR)
- You need to have worked or volunteered at events (or any other type of production work) before, showing that you have a passion, drive and a very basic understanding of the events industry.
- A lot of our events are located in the countryside/ in nature – you will likely be required to camp for some of them. Please speak to us if you have any concerns around access needs.
- Be between 18 and 35 years old and of Black Heritage*
- You must be available to work at one or more events during the summer (from the end of May to September, and other possible opportunities).
- You must fully engage with the process and will be asked to fill in a few data surveys throughout to help us monitor the course and keep improving it year after year.
*Black Heritage includes African, Caribbean, Black British-African, Black British-Caribbean, Other Black Backgrounds, Black Mixed
Application process
To apply, please read the full Festival Lab Application Guidance and FAQs, and complete the Festival &Carnvial Lab Application Form by 12pm on Fri 27 Feb.
You may have experiences which are not easily translated into application forms so we require a short 1-2 minute video and/or a short statement as to why you would benefit from this course along with a recent CV.
We will review all applications and invite eligible applicants to come in for a short informal chat with the course leads at Bristol Beacon. This is not an interview – more an opportunity to get to know you better, and a chance for you to find out more about the course.
Applications for the course close at 12pm on Fri 27 Feb 2026.
We will review all applications and get back to the successful candidates on Fri 6 Mar 2026, with the course starting on Thu 19 Mar 2026.
Do you have a question?
If you have any questions regarding Festival & Carnival Lab 2026, the course, or the application process, please contact the Community team.
Apply for Festival & Carnival Lab 2026
Please read the Application Guidance and FAQs before starting your application. Applications close at 12pm on Fri 27 Feb 2026.
Supported by
Festival Lab is possible thanks to support and funding from Arts Council England and LLDC.
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