Bristol is getting a fresh music festival: FORWARDS. The pioneering new two day event is set to go ahead in Clifton Downs in early September.
The first edition of FORWARDS will be headlined by Jamie XX on the Saturday, and The Chemical Brothers on the Sunday. Róisín Murphy, Little Simz, Khruangbin and Sleaford Mods are just some of the other big names on show.
For all the big names already enlisted for year one, it’s clear that FORWARDS festival is already looking into the future. Launched by TeamLove and AEG Present, the aim is for “FORWARDS to start the next chapter for inner city music festivals.”
Perhaps the clearest way FORWARDS is hoping to reshape city festivals is through an idea called THE INFORMATION (clearly lovers of a capital letter, as well as music). THE INFORMATION will be “a space driven by activism, examination, debate and understanding on today’s current affairs and cultural issues, plus challenging the role of music festivals.”
Little Simz
In situating itself as part of a broader cultural picture, FORWARDS are forwarding what a music festival can be. In a world where music and social justice have always been intertwined, FORWARDS’s programme will bring together leading “experts, disruptors, artists, writers and thinkers from across the social and political spectrum” from all around the globe. These figures are set to be announced in the Spring.
One of the social initiatives already announced is a series of opportunities for youth in Bristol through a partnership launched with BIG TEAM CIC. Here, FORWARDS will offer work experience, shadowing and paid job placements across the festival. Local Bristol youth organisations such as ACE and Babbasa are also involved, to ensure the opportunities are supported through “outreach, engagement and meaningful partnerships.”
Collaborations have also been announced with Bristol Pride & TEAM CANTEEN CIC, the independent hospitality collective which fights against food vulnerability. They will host a pop-up cafe at the festival, as well as catering backstage for talent and crew.
Jamie xx
During the first year of the festival, the event’s organisers will monitor its environmental effect. Having examined and collected this data, they hope to “create a 3-year strategy on how to monitor and reduce their GHG emissions, develop a circular, responsible production and consumption ethos while promoting social cohesion.”
