What we offer to event organisers and performers
Are you a performer, event organiser or agent interested in being part of the Festival of Chichester?
If so, please double check that you understand the way we work.
The Festival of Chichester is a charitable group that acts as a support umbrella for independently organised events. However, we do not actually organise events ourselves. So it will be up to you as performer/agent to choose a venue and work with that venue – you keep the ticket revenues and pay the hire fees.
Assuming you have a venue in mind, once approved your event becomes part of the festival and for a very modest fee it appears in our widely distributed brochure and on our website. You’re still be advised to promote your own event as much as possible. We also offer a ticketing service with online and physical ticket options (there’s a small commission for the box office).
If you are looking for a festival which hires acts directly then we are afraid we are not for you.
Assuming that you understand the way we work, please do feel free to contact our Coordinator or keep reading below for details of how to take the next step as from 1 December.
How to take part in our 2025 festival
Please read the notes below.
The function described below will be available as from Monday 2 December 2024.
If you have not already signed up in a previous year, then firstly click on the SIGN UP link at the top of the page. Once signed up, make sure you SIGN IN and then click on EVENT SUBMISSION (top RHS of the screen) to submit your event(s).
There’s an alternative Word file you can download and fill in. Please contact support@festivalofchichester.co.uk for it.
Notes on submitting your event
Please complete a separate entry for each event you are proposing to run. You can submit another entry once you’ve completed the form, but you cannot partially complete or save the form – it must be completed in one session.
We suggest that you have the following to hand before you start:
– A 50-word description of your event.
– At least one, preferably more than two images ready to upload from your computer, as JPG files at a medium to high resolution. We need real images, not a poster or anything with lettering on it. See the form for further details.
– A means of making your application fee. Once you have completed the form, please make payment. Online payment by BACS is preferred, but payment by cheque is also possible.
Please refer to our detailed notes for filling in the form.
What we do
Our role is to coordinate events, provide general publicity by producing a festival brochure and the local press, promoting you on social media, plus arranging for you to sell tickets via a central ticket booking facility.
We are not able to fund or produce events directly, but we will provide a framework to showcase the events which you are organising.
You will be responsible for all aspects of production for your event, including hiring a venue, health and safety, licensing and insurance, as applicable.
We will publicise your event in the printed festival brochure, in an e-brochure and on the website, and in general terms in the local press and other media. However you will also need to promote your own event yourself.
We will organise central booking and ticketing, available in person, by post and online via our ticket agency Chichester Box Office at The Novium. There is no problem with you selling additional tickets yourself, but do please allow a fair number of tickets to be sold so that people can purchase tickets for all events from the Chichester box office. You can request to be emailed a list of those attending your event.
Ticket contract: During the registration process please have a look at the ticket contract for ticket sales, which is available from the website footer, assuming that you are intending to sell tickets through the Chichester Box Office at the Novium at boxoffice@chichester.gov.uk. If you indicate on the form that you would like to proceed, the Box Office will send you a contract for signing. No tickets can be sold by the Box Office unless you complete and return the ticket contract to them.
If you have problems with any of the above arrangements, please contact us.
What you will need to do
You will need to:
– register your entry on this site
– book and pay for your own venue
– sign and return the contract for tickets to the Chichester Box Office
– follow Health and Safety Regulations
– check you have insurance for your event and
– carry out publicity for your event.
– You will organise stewarding and interval refreshments.
You are responsible for all aspects of your event.
During the registration process, please keep a note of the information you have submitted, especially your ticket prices and the number of tickets being offered on sale. The contact name for your event should be the same on both the submission form and the Chichester Box Office contract.
FESTIVAL ADMINISTRATION FEE
Please see the section on the submission form. In 2024, we requested a fee of £24 per entry submitted for each single event or £37 for events held on multiple dates, to help cover the expenses of administering the festival. 2025 fees will be held to 2024 rates. The fee is the same whether the event is free, paid-for, or whether it’s in-person or online.
We prefer payment by bank transfer. Please send an email to coordinator@festivalofchichester.co.uk and transfer the monies to the Festival of Chichester account, sort code 20-45-45, account number 23868052. IMPORTANT: Please mark the payment with a reference to your organisation’s name. Alternatively, please send a cheque, made out to the Festival of Chichester, to our Treasurer: Nick Sutherland, Festival of Chichester, Holly House, Chestnut Avenue, Chichester, PO19 5QU. Please write your organisation’s name on the back of the cheque.
LICENSING LAWS
Before confirming your event, please ensure that if applicable your venue has a Premises Licence for presenting regulated entertainment. Equally, if you plan to provide alcohol at your event – either for sale or included in the price of the ticket, you will need to check the venue has an Alcohol Licence. Information can be found on Chichester District Council’s website www.chichester.gov.uk to apply for a licence. Alternatively you can contact the Licensing Officer at Environmental Health on 01243 785166.
PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE
The Festival cannot provide public liability insurance. It is your responsibility as an event organiser to ensure that public liability cover is in place. Venues often have such cover but you must discuss this with them to ensure you are covered. If not, you will need to find another venue or arrange public liability cover.
HEALTH & SAFETY AT YOUR EVENT
As you will be aware all event organisers are responsible for ensuring the events they manage comply with Health and Safety legislation. You can download the festival health and safety guidance notes from our website footer.
VENUES
There are many suitable venues in and around Chichester. Check out our venues pages.
FESTIVAL CONTACTS
Please see our contacts page.
