What is a Festival Timeline?

A festival timeline (also called a festival planning timeline) is the planning schedule for a festival, setting out every milestone and deadline from the first bookings and licence application through the live days to the final review. It keeps every team working towards the same dates.

How a festival timeline works

A festival timeline is built and used in four steps:

  1. Fix the dates: set the festival dates and work backwards to every deadline.
  2. Add milestones: list key dates for licensing, booking, marketing, suppliers and site build.
  3. Assign owners: give each task a person or team responsible.
  4. Track and update: review progress weekly and adjust when dates move.

For a ready-made starting point, see our festival production timeline template. Many teams then track it live by building their timeline in Crescat.

Festival timeline vs festival programme

A festival timeline covers the months of planning before the event and the work after it. The festival programme covers only the live days: who performs where and when. The production team also keeps a detailed hour-by-hour timeline for build and break down days.

Example 12-month festival timeline

  • 12 months out: confirm dates, site and budget
  • 10 months out: book headliners and submit the licence application
  • 8 months out: launch tickets and announce the first acts
  • 6 months out: contract staging, power, security and toilets
  • 3 months out: recruit volunteers and finalise safety plans
  • 1 month out: publish stage times and complete artist advances
  • Festival week: site build, final walkthrough and live days
  • After: break down, pay suppliers and hold a debrief

Frequently asked questions

When should you start planning a festival?

Start 12 to 18 months ahead for a new or large festival. Securing the site, licence and headliners takes the longest, and popular acts and suppliers book up early.

What happens after a festival ends?

The site is broken down and cleared, suppliers and artists are paid, and the team holds a debrief to record what worked. Planning for the next edition usually starts within weeks.

Who manages the festival timeline?

The festival manager or head of production usually owns the timeline. Each department head is responsible for their own milestones and reports progress against it.

Related terms