Music Festival Production
Leadership Training Program
June 2024 in Grass Valley, CA
Music Festivals have become an important part of the current entertainment landscape, with many top-tier touring artists building their fan-base and relying on revenue from Festival engagements. From the promotor’s standpoint, producing a large festival is a complex project involving hundreds of people balancing venue selection, ticket pricing, customer experience, sound systems, food and beverage service, infrastructure, safety, operations, talent management and much more.
About The Program
The California Bluegrass Association’s exclusive Leadership Training Program is limited to 12 positions, which will be selected by the Program Jury based on candidate applications. Selected applicants will attend the Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, CA, an annual event started 49 years ago, and now attracting over 4,000 people from around the U.S. This festival features 30 bands on three stages over four days, workshops, youth programs, luthier’s pavilion and many other family-oriented activities.
Leadership participants will be embedded with various festival operations and production teams, gaining hands-on experience. You will work with experts to create a high-quality festival experience for attendees and learn to solve those inevitable problems in real-time.
DATES: Monday June 10, 2024 (afternoon) through Monday June 17 (morning)
LOCATION: Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA
FEES: This Program is provided at no cost to the participant, in exchange for their commitment to actively engage with the Festival team for shifts of approximately 8 hours per day, lending their efforts to a successful event.
APPLICATIONS: Attendance is limited to only 12 positions for 2024. Applications are open now through April 15. Winning applicants will be notified no later than April 30.
What to Expect
The Production Leadership program is intended to provide on-the-ground first hand experience in running a major music festival. Participants will be assigned to work with various crews for approximately 8 hours per day to learn various aspects of production management, including:
- Safety and Hospitality
- Box Office and Access control
- Stage Sound
- Festival Security
- Catering
- Merchandise Sales
- Stage Management
- Artist Relations
- Site Operations & Logistics
- Concessions and Vendor Management
- Production Office Management
In addition, a seminar series will be conducted exclusively for participants, providing brief (30-45 minute) workshops with experts on important topics. You will have a chance to meet the key team leaders in these areas, learn about their roles and to engage in Q&A sessions.
Attendees who successfully complete the Leadership Training Program will receive a certificate and an evaluation documenting their achievement.
Prerequisites
The ideal candidate will either be studying theater arts, music production or media at a post-secondary level, or be an early-career professional involved in (or interested in) the music industry or event productions. However, this is also a great entry level opportunity for anyone who would like to explore the world of event production and is willing to work hard. If this sounds interesting to you, do not hesitate to apply. For this program, an applicant should be a team player who is open to feedback and collaborative creation.
This is an outdoor festival held at a venue spanning over 20 acres. It can be hot. It can be cold and some roles will require applicants to walk up to 10,000 steps per day, assist in moving boxes or equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, or remain in a stationary position for several hours at a time.
- After Hours – When you are not helping run the festival, you’ll have free access to the event to enjoy the activities, including stage performances, music workshops, square-dances and all-night jamming parties.
The Nevada County Fairgrounds is a beautiful pine-forested area in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, with many hiking trails, swimming holes, restaurants and attractions nearby.
- Accommodations – Camping space for tent or camper van is provided. Limited scholarships for tent rentals are available. Other accommodation options are available, and are the responsibility of the participant, including nearby hotels, AirBnB’s or RV rentals for parking at the Festival site.
- Meals – will be provided to attendees as part of the program.
- Festival Pass – Each winning applicant will receive one complimentary Full (four-day) Festival pass, including camping and parking (with in-and-out privileges).. One companion Full-festival pass can be purchased at a discounted rate.