Arts Trust Productions – Developing Audiences in the Arts
We first worked with Martin Collins from Arts Trust Productions on the multi-platform release of Emancipation of Expressionism, back in 2017, and have since worked together to raise awareness and develop audiences for some brilliant projects, including two live productions for the Russell Maliphant Dance Company, a film for the BBC, and a series of 14 festivals.
Arts Trust works across different platforms and mediums to create cultural experiences for marginalised communities, and improve access to the arts, so working with Martin and his organisation has been an amazing ride so far, with some beautiful experiences.
Emancipation of Expressionism, commissioned by The Space, is an 11-minute piece of hip-hop dance theatre, from Olivier Award-winning company Boy Blue Entertainment, captured on film by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, back in 2017. This marked a seminal moment, as it was the first hip hop dance to be featured on the GCSE curriculum, and we worked on publicity and audience development for both the stand alone film, and also it’s TV premiere on BBC 2 as part of Darcey Bussell’s New Dance, a show that looked at modern dance works taking familiar genres into uncharted territory.
We continued our work with Martin on two ground breaking dance productions from The Russell Maliphant Dance Company, Silent Lines in 2019 and Vortex in 2022. Again our work here was to engage with arts and dance audiences, which included press events at Sadler’s Wells filled to capacity with national arts journalists, delivering high profile features and reviews, whilst also making the campaigns accessible to people who might not previously have considered attending a dance performance.
Vortex was filmed live at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and broadcast on BBC Four in 2024 before moving on to BBC iPlayer; which meant we could reach a brand new audience, by devising a campaign that stepped out of the arts pages and into entertainment. This was a nice full circle moment to our original work together on Emancipation of Expressionism.
Last summer, we were back working with Arts Trust Productions once more, leading on the comms for Summer in the Park, a series of 14 free festivals running from June – September 2024 in the beautiful parks and squares of Greenwich, Bexley and Tendring. Taking their work a step further, this event series was designed to improve access to the benefits of arts and culture, whilst also addressing loneliness, plus tackling anti-social behaviour and knife crime among the local youth in the community.
The Summer in the Park campaign also achieved remarkable results and local communities turned out in their droves to contribute and take part making for a brighter summer season than the weather could provide; it went so well that we have teamed up again to work on the 2025 edition, which is even more impressive due to last year’s success, and we have just announced it to a wonderful response from the media.
The 2024 campaign created the opportunity for Martin to share Arts Trust Productions’ mission, which will also run through all comms around the 2025 festivals. We believe, as they do, that opportunity and accessibility is vital to the future of our creative culture, and for the well being of us all, so we are excited to continue to support their brilliant work.
Martin Collins said: “Working with such a passionate collaborator in Sundae Communications has been a privilege and a great source of inspiration. At Arts Trust Productions, we believe in the transformative power of the arts to connect communities and make culture more accessible. The success of projects like Emancipation of Expressionism and the Summer in the Park festivals shows the positive impact that thoughtful, inclusive programming can have. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue building these connections and making the arts a vibrant, welcoming space for all.”
Sundae x
Photos by Roswitha Chesher
Promoting Local Festivals and Events
Since we launched, back in 2011, Sundae has created, developed and promoted festivals of all sizes across the UK. From Shangri-La at Glastonbury, through to Noisily Festival and Salford’s own Sounds from the Other City, every festival is impacted by the availability of new talent and opportunity.
This year we put a focus on local, and added some brilliant grassroots and hyperlocal events to our roster, to ensure that instead of simply talking about the gaps in diversity, we are contributing to the development of the industry from the grassroots up.
In an event-full 2024, we worked on Summer in the Park, the massive series of free festivals in the beautiful parks and squares of Greenwich, Bexley and Tendring, the UK’s largest Italian festival, Festa Italiana in Manchester, Pride Classical as part of Pride in Liverpool, plus cultural events curated by Salford City Council in Swinton, Walkden and Eccles: Not Quite Light Festival, Carousel of Us, Make Tracks and Picturing Eccles.
We work with local events to extract the artists’ stories, and push as hard as we can to achieve as much media presence as possible – sounds straightforward, right?
Well, yeah, it is, but we have to tell the story accurately, in the right way, to drive the right people to attend; people who buy into the event as a whole, who are likely to talk about it to their friends, and return in the future. We have to help them build support and grow a community.
Local festivals and events revolve around creativity, inclusion, inspiration, innovation, engagement, hope for the future, and giving people a voice, which makes it all the more important to us to help them establish themselves as a staple in their town or city’s calendar and contribute to the industry as a whole. They provide vital platforms for up-and-coming artists, job opportunities for new event staff, work experience for students, and bring people together to celebrate where they are from.
It all sounds very familiar, doesn’t it?! If you head to Shangri-La Glastonbury or Noisily and take a good look around, really see what is happening, then it quickly becomes apparent that great national festivals are built on the same foundations. They have line-ups and stages dedicated to promoting up-and-coming artists – proving that without grassroots creativity and the drive of those who take it upon themselves to deliver it, then the flowing creative pipeline to bigger, national festivals and events would eventually stem.
The part we play is one we are hugely proud of: we shout about our clients from the rooftops, we put their voices on blast and help them celebrate their work. With every piece of coverage, every interview placed, every Reel posted, and every link clicked, we contribute to the future.
From local to national, from Swinton Shopping Centre to Worthy Farm, we do what we do and we turn it up to eleven.
Tom x
📸 by Jody Hartley, Christophe Reynoden, Roswitha Chesher, Joshua Croft, Lydia Wakelam, Simone Ronconi, Martin Sharp, George Harrison,
Viva La Festa Italiana 2024
There’s no party like an Italian festa!
For seven years now, Festa Italiana, the UK’s biggest Italian festival, has been growing from strength to strength and we’re proud to have been delivering the press and socials for four of them. This was my third year on the ground and it might have been the best one yet!
Created by the family behind Manchester-favourite Salvi’s, Festa Italiana is the UK’s biggest annual celebration of all the best things Italian, taking in authentic food, drink and culture.
Championing Manchester’s vibrant communities and telling their stories has always been essential to our work and Festa Italiana is just another heartwarming reminder that we all speak the same language. It’s been an absolute pleasure telling the stories of the hard-working people of Italy, who bring a slice of their culture year upon year.
Working with the Festa team, festival partners and participants, we delivered a fun, community-centred campaign, building on the success from previous years. The incredible ethos of the festival and its colourful characters secured a series of features on BBC Radio Manchester and London One Radio.
Insanely fun, and absolutely bonkers – that’s how the Festa goes, and our dedicated social media team smashed the challenge of delivering outstanding live content.
We had it all – from a cheeky lemonade stand which caused a furore, to the ultimate (chaotic) Festa tour, delivered by the iconic Gennaro Contaldo and festival creator Maurizio Cecco, to breaking down language barriers and navigating the crowds to ask the vendors the most pressing of questions – does pineapple go on pizza.
Viva La Cucina!
When I tell you this one is going down in history – I mean it.
Inspired by the hugely popular Amalfi Coast extravaganza, Salvi’s introduced Manchester’s craziest Italian cooking class, right in the heart of the festival. Making pasta, catching a flying pizza dough disk, dancing, piping cannoli, and, of course, the return of the viral big pan, all made for a truly unforgettable night.
Guess who was there to keep you updated via live stories? All while dodging flying dough balls, crashing the dancefloor with the stunning pastaia Carmela Sereno Hayes, and singing along to Napoli anthems.
If, ‘the harder the work, the sweeter the reward’, then the campaign we created must have been absolutely scrumptious, but the proof is in the pudding!
We also generated 35 pieces of targeted coverage, across key titles like the Manchester Evening News, Manchester’s Finest, Secret Manchester, Manchester Wire, The Manc, About Manchester, Creative Tourist, Taste of Manchester, and Yahoo! News UK, alongside a hugely successful social media partnership with Eat MCR.
The social media strategy was aimed at raising awareness, maximising engagement and capitalising on the skyrocketing exposure during the festival. We created multiple social media collaborations with key Festa figures like Gennaro Contaldo, various performers and partners.
So if you’re as passionate about Italian culture as we are, have a taste of this year’s Festa Italiana.
As the Italians say, ci vediamo alla Festa Italiana 2025!
Evelina x
📸 by Simone Ronconi
My Pride Song
What a way to end the summer! Projects like this are what we are all about at Sundae, and this one in particular is a movement close to all of our hearts… the team at Pride Classical, the trailblazing organisation dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ history and culture through the power of music, invited us to raise awareness and confirm contributors to their new initiative My Pride Song, a celebration of Pride and allyship.
My Pride Song called upon as many LGBTQ+ community members and allies as possible to contribute a video message with the story behind their choice, the importance of the song, and why the music of Pride matters to them.
Any new contributors would join prominent LGBTQ+ community members and allies including actress, presenter, author, television producer, and activist Dame Joanna Lumley, winner of season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Danny Beard, renowned actress and activist Julie, Coronation Street actress Dolly-Rose Campbell, comedian Jason Manford, global cabaret queen Alison Jiear, and Olivier award winning actor Matt Henry MBE who had already joined the movement.
My Pride Song was born out of and inspired by Pride Classical, a brand new event that celebrated the music and history of the LGBTQ+ community. Premiering at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, across the opening weekend of Pride Month in June 2023, Pride Classical presented brand new arrangements of beloved songs by iconic artists, performed by a full professional orchestra of LGBTQ+ musicians and allies.
We’re so proud to say that we placed features in I Love Manchester, GScene, DIVA Magazine and Canal Street Online, as well as confirming contributions from Coronation Street stars Anthony Crank and Jane Hazelgrove, It’s a Sin actor Neil Ashton, Waterloo Road’s Hollie-Jay Bowes, prolific actress and writer Sue Vincent, Hollyoaks’ Ashling O’Shea and Annie Wallace, Rise and Fall’s Connor Fisher and drag queen Kitty Scott-Claus.
In the words of Patsy Stone of Absolutely Fabulous fame: “Cheers, sweeties! Thanks a lot!”
Sundae x
📸: Joshua Croft Photography
Celebrating Italy at Festa Italiana 2023
Buona Festa Italiana, Manchester!
We’re back from another glorious weekend at the UK’s biggest Italian festival, held right in the heart of Manchester, so listen up!
Brought together by our long-standing friends, the team at family-run Italian Salvi’s, Festa Italiana has become the epitome of Manchester’s Italian community and heritage.
Championing collaboration and community over competition, Salvi’s owner Maurizio Cecco set off to bring the city’s best Italian food, drink and culture together in a festival which is now a three day celebration taking place over the August bank holiday weekend.
Now in its sixth year, Festa Italiana has combined the traits of a traditional Italian festival with a healthy portion of Mancunian charm to become a much-anticipated event for people all over the country. And we’ve had the honour to join the ride, managing the press and social media campaign for three years so far.
The festival kicked off with Festa Italiana della Donna – a day-long celebration of female chefs, championing their outstanding work within the male-dominated world of professional cooking, showcasing pastaia Carmela Sereno-Hayes, award-winning chef Sofia Gallo, and Salvi’s very own head chef, Valentina Ambrosino.
Do you hear the applause? We had a full house for Italian cooking legends Gennaro Contaldo and Giancarlo Caldesi, alongside Maurizio himself, while master baker and Great British Bake Off 2021 winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno put the cherry on top of the spectacular Festa line-up.
The classic Mancunian downpour did not dampen the Festa spirits. Vendors, chefs and performers worked around the clock to once again bring a slice of Italy to festival-goers, leaving hearts and bellies full.
We worked alongside iconic Italian brewer Birrificio Angelo Poretti to execute the press and social media campaign for La Grande Tavola, which gathered local and national press and content creators to a 80-person meal under the Festa stars, cooked and presented by festival creator Maurizio himself.
The grande Festa famiglia (the big Festa family) was the core of our campaign. Our press campaign put a well-deserved spotlight on the Italian vendors who shared their stories with the world and proved just why Festa Italiana is key to empowering the local Italian community. The human stories from the festival secured four features on BBC Radio Manchester and placed in various shows and bulletins on Radio One London, Capital Manchester, Hits Manchester and XS Manchester.
We also secured coverage from the likes of The Manc, Manchester’s Finest, Manchester Evening News, Creative Tourist, I Love Manchester, Secret Manchester and more, with media outlets also reporting live from the festival piazza on their socials.
And as social media platforms grow, so did our campaign. Telling the story of the big Festa family was a key focus of this year’s campaign, which resulted in reaching 396k accounts and brought in a 40% increase in following across multiple platforms.
We worked with local and national brands, the Festa organisers, chefs, vendors and participants, and a wealth of Manchester’s biggest content creators in order to celebrate all things Italian for yet another extremely successful year.
AND Maurizio even went viral! Talk about a busy weekend…
Who’s ready for Festa Italiana 2024?
Evelina x
📸: Florindo Albaphotos
In the Woods With Noisily Festival
Yesterday we made the exciting journey down to Barkestone Woods, Lincolnshire, as we had the pleasure of hosting the official press tour for the 10th anniversary of Noisily Festival, welcoming a host of journalists and bloggers from across the UK, and giving them a glimpse into the festival’s soul.
Sundae has worked closely with the team at Noisily on a bespoke comms campaign over the last 10 months, taking in key announcements such as the new site, the anniversary, the official line-up, its spectacular arts programme, revealing Mind Body Soul, the transformative, heart opening wellness programme, as well as telling the beautiful stories of some of the people behind the magic.
It was so wonderful to see the project come to life and to experience the stunning landscape of Coney Woods; the lush greenery served as the perfect backdrop for the enchanting festival-world that unfolded before our eyes, and we could not wait to explore.
The press tour kicked off with a palpable buzz in the air as we embarked on the immersive journey into the realm of music, wellness, and art. Introducing press to Mind Body Soul, the festival’s sanctuary for holistic wellbeing, we offered an exclusive workshop with trailblazing meditation programme Lumenate which left participants feeling recharged, enlightened, and somewhat curious to find out more.
Walking through the festival grounds, we were joined by Noisily co-founder Charles Audley who talked us through the different music stages and how they were put together in order to optimise the sound quality in such a unique setting, as well as arts director Ruth Herbert who stepped in to introduce the press to larger-than-life installations and interactive sculptures that created an immersive dreamscape.
Across the full campaign, we secured lots of fantastic, varied coverage including features with Glamour Magazine, Conde Nast Traveller, Stand Out Magazine, Total Production International, Broke Magazine, Data Transmission, DJ Revolution, The Festivals and Leicester Mercury, as well as a series of interview features in collaboration with BBC Radio Leicester who also came along to broadcast live from the woods.
It has been a delight to be a part of this extraordinary event – the collective energy onsite and the fusion of music, wellness and art creates an atmosphere and experience that is unparalleled and unforgettable!
Charlotte x
Images by: Jake Davis & Sammy Leigh Scholl
BBC Philharmonic x The Royal Northern College of Music – Future Music #4
As part our work with the wonderful BBC Philharmonic we have had the absolute pleasure of looking after the communications campaign around their fascinating concert within The Royal Northern College of Music’s festival, Future Music #4.
The RNCM’s Future Music Festival explores the boundaries and intersections between science and art. Produced by PRiSM, the Royal Northern College of Music’s Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music, Future Music #4 featured ground-breaking world premieres from composers Robert Laidlow and Emily Howard, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and brought to life by conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni.
This performance marked the 5th anniversary of PRiSM, the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Northern College of Music and the BBC Philharmonic’s Centenary. It celebrated the ongoing collaboration between PRiSM and BBC Philharmonic through their shared interest in science and technology.
Our aim with this campaign was to amplify the forward thinking, experimental nature of the orchestra, as well as the incredible work of RNCM’s PRiSM; with such unique material and ground-breaking performances comes the opportunity to tap into some different media sectors that would usually be outside of the orchestral music realm, so that is what we did.
Following an in-depth pitching process to some targeted specialist media, we achieved a detailed video feature documenting the concert that went out post-event on New Scientist, with listings, previews and interview features on I Love Manchester, About Manchester, BBC Radio Manchester respectively.
Working on this concert further opened our eyes and minds to possibilities via the link between science and art, and in particular the infinite potential of music for reinvention and incorporation of ground-breaking technologies.
We will be following the BBC Philharmonic’s future journey with interest in the excited anticipation of what it can show us next, and if the notion takes you, you should do the same.
Tom x
Photos by the BBC Philharmonic
Festa Italiana 2022
If you had an incredible Neapolitan pizza in one hand and a tangy Limoncello spritz in the other, nodding along to “We No Speak Americano” under the bank holiday weekend sun, then you must have been at Festa Italiana along with Tom, Hannah and me, Evelina, from the Sundae press and social teams.
Entering the grounds of the UK’s biggest Italian festival felt like a spontaneous trip to Italy and it was our mission to take all Festa social media followers and members of the Manchester press along for the ride! From authentic Italian street food and drink, to traditional music and dance sessions, live cooking demos and pasta-making classes, Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens were transformed into a lively Festival Piazza.
Brought to you by the team behind Manchester’s family run favourite Salvi’s, Festa Italiana is now in its fifth year! It is inspired by the city’s very own Italian community and traditional Italian festivals (with a healthy sprinkling of Mancunian charm), and caters to everyone looking to experience the best of Italy on their doorstep.
We got to sharpen our cooking skills thanks to some of the Maestri of Italian cuisine who performed a culinary spectacle for the awestruck crowds. Fronted by Salvi’s owner and Festa head honcho Maurizio Cecco, accompanied by daughter-in-chef, Sienna, the live cookery demos featured free classes from legendary chefs Gennaro Contaldo, Giancarlo Caldesi and Aldo Zilli, leaving no belly rumbling and no parmesan ungrated.
While Aldo reminisced about locking Prince Edward in his restaurant back in his “heyday” (and performed a demo of cooking fish the Italian way), Great British Bake Off 2021 winner and ex-engineer Giuseppe Dell’Anno led those of all abilities through the precise science of baking!.
Food was the heart of it all, and many smiling Festa-goers even received an impromptu live performance by celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo, alongside Italian band Compagnia SoleLuna on the festival’s main stage!.
The crowd of happy faces radiated togetherness. We welcomed members of the press and content creators to Manchester’s “Little Italy” for a chance to immerse themselves in the spirit of Italian celebration. Calorosa, as singer Lina described it – a hearty atmosphere, spreading through the thousands of people enjoying themselves on the festival grounds.
The most curious faces were next to a big table under the shade of the trees, where pastaia (aka: pasta-making specialist) Carmela Sereno Hayes taught the smallest of cooks how to make their very own pasta from scratch.
“It’s the easiest thing ever!” says Maurizio, while we sweat over a piece of farfalle and the children at Gennaro Contaldo’s masterclass folded a batch of ravioli.
Carmela and Maurizio also cooked up the magnifico feast for the exclusive chef table dinner, which hosted Festa’s special guests over hearty authentic meals, served over the finest Italian wines in conversation with the award-winning authors and chefs. Hearts and bellies were filled.
The Festa stage showcased a variety of performers, lifting the crowd off their feet and into the spirit of Italian celebration. People spun in circles holding hands, while children and adults alike learned how to perform traditional Italian dances.
If you ever wondered why the festival spans over three days, then the answer is: So you have enough time to eat all the cannoli, arancini, gelato, pizza, pasta and the rest of the mouth-watering authentic Italian food the festival has to offer (including a few giant cheese wheels)!
We love working on the Festa Italiana! Apart from enjoying a well-deserved cacio e pepe, we secured lots of brilliant pieces of national and regional coverage over a spread of online, print and broadcast media outlets such as The i, BBC Radio Manchester, iNews, Manchester Evening News, Time Out, Creative Tourist, Manchester’s Finest, The Manc, About Manchester, and many more!
Leading our social media campaign with live updates of all the exciting moments on the grid and stories, collaborations with the chefs and vendors and capturing the Festa spirit on Reels, we managed to reach over 200k accounts over all social media channels, cooking up a storm of positive engagement and hundreds of new followers!
In the words of none other than Gennaro Contaldo himself, “meravigliosa”!
(translation: marvellous)
Evelina x
We Invented The Weekend
We Invented the Weekend launches with a showcase event at MediaCityUK, with Pops Roberts (Lovescene), Adele Tondu (Unity Radio), singer songwriter Bee Rosebud and a show from Ghetto Fabulous.
Last Thursday was the official launch for the brand-new, bold, imaginative and completely free festival for the North, We Invented the Weekend (WITW) which will take place on 10th and 11th September across Salford Quays and MediaCity.
Hosted at Dock 10, the launch revealed the first programme announcements from the festival, at a creative showcase presented by Nihal Arthanayake (BBC 5Live) and Karen Gabay (BBC Radio Manchester).
We heard about exciting plans for the music programme from Rivca Burns who is bringing the magic of Sounds from the Other City to the Quays for the first time. Plus Michael Betteridge and Simon Webb of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, talked about the incredible Weekend Orchestra, which will bring thousands of singers and musicians together to perform.
Guests were treated to DJ sets from Lovescene’s Pops Roberts and Adele Tondu from Unity Radio collective, a live performance from Bee Rosebud, plus the very first performance of the We Invented the Weekend song by Honeyfeet singer, Ríoghnach Connolly.
Artist and Goggleboxer Helena Worthington was also in the building, painting live to demonstrate the creative workshops she announced for WITW, while designer Kemi Gbadebo and Manchester Fashion Movement’s Alison Carlin told us and showed us what they have in store, with a performance showcasing their sustainable fashion from queer arts collective Ghetto Fabulous.
The programme announcement also revealed the first piece of research from Ipsos in partnership with the festival, which found 37% of Brits have reduced their paid cultural activities, including cinema, theatre, museums, concerts or festivals due to the rising cost of living and that the same amount now taking part in free activities, with the trend growing on both counts.
It’s never been more important that everyone has access to free culture and it’s wonderful to be part of a free event doing just that, celebrating the weekend’s invention in Manchester in 1843 with a glorious mix of sports, music, greening and gardening, theatre, dance, workshops, talks, food, charity, wellness, crafts and more.
Manchester’s media came through with some brilliant support with coverage and some stunning images from the launch appearing in Manchester’s Finest, About Manchester, Manchester World, Unlock Mcr and Salford Voice, as well as interviews with creative director Wayne Hemingway and Lowry CEO Julia Fawcett on BBC Radio Manchester, Wayne on LBC and Your Manchester, and festival director Kate Doyle on Salford City Radio.
Watch this space for more details about the festival – Salford is going to show the world it knows exactly how to celebrate the weekend!
Sundae x
Photographs by James Stack
Ten Days in the Life of Shangri-La Glastonbury
Ten Days in the Life of the Shangri-Family at Worthy Farm
As we rolled onto the Shangri-La site, just a few days ahead of the opening of the most anticipated Glastonbury Festival of all time, it felt like we were arriving home after a long trip away.
The welcome from the whole team was as warm as the beaming June sun; we were instantly part of the production crew family and couldn’t wait to ditch our bags in our caravans, join the movement, and get to work. We hung our gold shimmer, gave our cabin a bit of Sundae zhuzh, plugged in our laptops, and our on site press and comms office was a-go-go.
Sundae last worked from the Farm in 2019 at the last Glasto before the ‘you-know-what’ came skulking into our lives and stole our fun in an unprecedented sneak attack, but, unbeknown to the unwanted and unwitting virus, that three year break only fuelled the creativity and increased the hunger of this unstoppable group of incredible people.
Kaye Dunnings, Robin Collings and Chris ‘Tofu’ Mackmeikan MBE are the collective driving force behind all things Shangri-La, and with the help of their powerhouse team, and some very special new recruits, we worked together to create Lost Horizon, a VR experience including digital twins of some of Shangri-La’s stages, and some brand new creations, that hosted some of the biggest artists on the planet and creating parties for the people while the real world was at a stand-still.
When real life began to re-emerge, we opened Lost Horizon HQ, a venue like no other, situated in the heart of Bristol, that blurs all kinds of lines between real life and virtual reality. Coined ‘Shangri-La’s creative den’, the place well and truly earns its moniker with every show, exhibition and fearless implementation of each boundary pushing idea.
The Lost Horizon concept is here to stay; an acceleration into the future that has quickly become our present, and its distinctive touches were an intrinsic part of the 2022 Shangri-La world, with advanced tech, VR crossover and even an AR robot artist populating the Shangriverse, alongside the art, music and community Shangri-La is infamous for.
This year’s theme was ‘We the People’, an adventure into possibility, exploring human connection in all its unique forms – past, present and future. From sitting around a fire-pit sharing past experiences to delving into emerging new technologies to connect globally, celebrating humanity – what makes us human, and how we can collectively make change.
Lost Horizon presents Party Nerds gave us the chance to come full circle and bring our VR project to the field, whilst elsewhere in the Shangriverse we met Ai-Da Robot, the world’s first ultra-realistic artist robot (a dab hand at painting portraits), and entered Condense Reality’s Holo-booth where holograms of us, created in real time via motion capture, were live streamed into a virtual world (we know, right!).
First seen in the metaverse, Nomad was a new-for-2022 radical area brought to you by a powerful collection of the UK’s most inspiring and subversive minds, while FLINT venue The Sistxrhood was back in the field empowering and showcasing womxn, non-binary and gender-nonconforming artists in the music, arts, culture and nightlife industries.
The mighty Truth Stage was shouting loud to unite the tribes! Yours Truthfully, the ground-breaking exhibition curated by our very own Design Manchester co-creative director Malcolm Garrett and Shangri-La creative director Kaye Dunnings for Lost Horizon Festival 2020 broke out from the multiverse and took over the Truth Stage’s IRL giant billboards.
This year’s eclectic music acts spanned from Fatboy Slim, to Goldie, to Kae Tempest, to DRS, to Grove, to Fumez the Engineer, to Mandidextrous, to Craig Charles, to Warmduscher, to K.O.G, to Los Dedos, plus WAY too many more to list, while Earache Records took over with acts including Brass Against, Bob Vylan, Nova Twins and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.
The force that is the Gas Tower returned with its renowned digital progression and 360° sound and exclusive screenings of Ai WeiWei’s film Yours Truly, as well as a BBC Essential mix Live feat. Bonobo & ABSOLUTE and a very special Sportsbanger x Shangri-La Megarave featuring headliners playing B2B with NHS and Care Workers, mad collaborations and serious high energy vibes.
As if that wasn’t enough, a surprise booking of Ukrainian Eurovision Song contest winners, Kalush Orchestra saw them take to the Truth Stage late on Friday night to produce a performance that induced pure love amongst an already delighted crowd, attracting news crews from all over the world.
All of this (and a helluva lot more!) piqued the interest of national and regional press across the board with features, interviews and reviews appearing in NME, DJ Mag, the Times, the Telegraph, the Guardian, METRO, iNews, Sky News, the Independent, Evening Standard, BBC News Online, ITV.com, Tech Register, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and Louder Sound amongst many others.
This year we worked with an amazing team, including the brilliant Dulcie at Chuffed Digital, to deliver the socials for Shangri-La, creating strategy, content and engagement for the festival and beyond. We’ve gained thousands of new followers, and are heading towards our goal of a million impressions. We’ve got content for days so follow us at @shangrilaglasto for insight and updates!
The last ten days living as part of the Shangri-La family have to be considered some of the best of our lives; the love, the creativity, the stories, the family feeling, the joy, the music and, above all: we, the people, made it what it was – something beautiful and unforgettable.
Thank you, Shangri-La…it is an honour to be part of you.
Sundae x
Photos by Jody Hartley, George Harrison and Nathan Roach