Live Nation’s Festival Republic and Haringey Council will bring mains electricity to Finsbury Park in bid to reduce carbon emissions, setting a precedent for UK festival organisers and venue owners across the country.
In a UK-first, Festival Republic is installing new, purpose-built mains power supply in Finsbury Park as part of the push to reduce emissions from generators.
The new supply will power the main stage and key areas of the festival site and is expected to lead to a significant decrease in carbon emissions over the use of generators to do the same job.
Electrification has long been identified as one of the main ways to make significant carbon saving for outdoor events, though location can often by a barrier to festivals in rural locations. The opportunity for city-based festivals is more immediate, with a number in the UK believed to be well-progressed in discussions with councils and infrastructure providers.
The Show Must Go On Report, published by Vision for Sustainable Events, identifies ‘Replacing all fossil fuels with renewable electricity sources’ as a key area for the live events sector to focus on, calling for policy to accelerate the installation of grid connections in public outdoor spaces.