Festival Live Streaming Case Study

The ABR Festival is packed with activity, from live music and guest speakers to demonstrations and competitions, making it impossible for visitors to see everything happening across the site.

The organisers wanted to extend the festival experience by creating a live evening show that captured the highlights of each day while keeping online audiences connected to the event. The challenge was to build and operate a temporary broadcast studio in the heart of the festival, produce engaging live content on a tight schedule and work around the unpredictable nature of an outdoor event, whatever the weather or conditions.

To bring the festival to life for audiences both on and off site, we designed and built a fully functioning outdoor broadcast studio at the heart of the event. Throughout the day, our crew filmed interviews, captured highlights from around the festival and gathered content that could be edited ready for the evening live show. As the festival continued around us, the production team worked behind the scenes to manage cameras, audio, graphics and live contributions, creating a fast-paced programme that reflected the atmosphere and energy of the event.

To deliver the broadcasts, we provided:

• A purpose-built festival studio, complete with multi-camera production, professional lighting, broadcast audio and live vision mixing to create an engaging TV-style programme.
• Fast-turnaround content production, filming interviews, rider stories and event highlights throughout the day before editing them into the live broadcast just a few hours later.
• Reliable live streaming and technical management, using resilient internet connectivity, live graphics, video playback and real-time production workflows to keep every show running smoothly throughout the four-day festival.

The result was a dynamic live programme that gave online viewers a genuine flavour of the festival while creating a valuable collection of video content that continued to promote the event long after the final tents had been packed away.

Over the course of the four-day festival, the WaveFX team produced four live evening shows, captured 30+ interviews and created a steady stream of highlight content that kept audiences engaged throughout the event.

By combining live broadcasting with fast-turnaround editing, the festival was able to share the atmosphere, stories and personalities that made the event unique, both during the festival and long afterwards. The broadcasts extended the reach of the event beyond those attending in person, while the growing library of video content provided valuable marketing assets that continued to promote the ABR Festival well beyond the final day.

“It’s all about timing. You’re filming what’s happening now while thinking about what’s going into the live show a few hours later. It keeps everyone on their toes.”

Peter Harmer, Videographer, WaveFX

Festival audiences expect content that feels authentic, not over-produced. Rather than trying to capture everything, focus on telling the story of the event through the people, the atmosphere and the moments that make it unique.

Leave room in the schedule for the unexpected too, some of the best interviews and footage often happen away from the main stage.

Every festival has its own personality, and that’s what makes producing them so enjoyable. Whether you’re looking to live stream headline acts, create a daily highlights show or capture behind-the-scenes content for social media, there’s no single right approach.

The best productions are the ones that reflect the character of the event and give people a reason to come back next year. If you’re exploring ideas for your festival, we’re always happy to chat through what’s possible.