When the festival programme is finally set in stone, the real excitement begins – preparing to announce it to the world. Finalising your festival line-up and carefully planning its announcement are crucial steps that can make or break your event’s momentum. Festival organisers who have been through this process know that attention to detail and strategic timing are everything. From locking in your slate with absolute certainty to rolling out the news in stages, every decision will impact how your audience and the media receive the big reveal. This guide offers practical, actionable advice drawn from decades of festival production experience across film, music, food, and cultural festivals around the globe. The aim is to help both emerging and seasoned festival producers navigate the final pre-announcement hurdles with confidence, ensuring the hard work of curating a fantastic event translates into maximum buzz and sustained interest.
Freeze the Line-up and Secure All Deliverables
Lock in the festival slate with a version-controlled list. Once you’ve decided on your complete line-up – be it films in competition, bands on stage, or chefs at a food festival – it’s time to “freeze” that list. In practice, this means no more changes unless absolutely critical. A version-controlled list (for example, Final Line-up v1.0) should be circulated internally so everyone on the team is referencing the exact same roster of content. This prevents confusion and mistakes; if any late changes do occur (like a last-minute addition or a dropout), update the version number (v1.1, v1.2, etc.) and promptly inform all departments. Consistency is key – marketing, ticketing, production, and press teams must all work from the identical slate of offerings.
Confirm participation and secure agreements. Before publicising anything, ensure every artist, filmmaker, or contributor in your line-up is fully confirmed and contractually committed. This includes re-checking that all booking agreements, screening rights, or performance contracts are signed and that stakeholders know the announcement timeline. A common mistake is announcing a film or artist before final confirmation – only to have to retract it later. For instance, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2025 had to withdraw a documentary after announcement due to unresolved rights issues, which caused unwanted attention and schedule shuffling. Vetting these issues in advance by double-checking rights and permissions protects you from such scenarios. If something isn’t 100% locked in, leave it out of the announcement – you can always announce additions later rather than risk a public change or cancellation.
Gather all necessary deliverables from participants. The moment the line-up is locked, start collecting the materials you’ll need to promote and present each selection. For a film festival, this means reaching out to filmmakers or distributors for high-resolution still images, trailers or clips (if available), official synopses, and full credits lists for each film. For a music festival or multi-arts event, it could include artist bios, photos, stage plots or tech riders (for internal use), and any logos or artwork from partners. Create a checklist and ensure every item is received and in the correct format. Don’t rely on last-minute submissions – impose a deadline for deliverables well ahead of your announcement date. By freezing the line-up early and starting the deliverables chase immediately, you build in a buffer for any delays or issues (like a filmmaker needing more time to find an approved still image).
Obtain necessary approvals for content and materials. It’s not enough to simply gather synopses and photos – you must also confirm that you have permission to use them and that key people have signed off on their accuracy. Have the filmmakers review the synopsis and credits you plan to publish, so that you don’t accidentally list the wrong producer or miss a key festival premiere status. Likewise, ensure the images provided have the rights cleared for promotional use. Many festivals have been burned by using a photo only to get a takedown request because it wasn’t properly approved. A quick written approval from the content owner (filmmaker, record label, etc.) that “all materials are cleared for festival publicity use” will save headaches later. Additionally, internally proofread all text – synopses should be concise, engaging, and free of spoilers or errors, and credits should follow a consistent format. By securing these approvals and double-checking details, you’ll present information confidently and avoid corrections post-announcement.
Prepare Synopses, Credits, and Visuals Meticulously
With your line-up frozen and materials in hand, develop the content that will accompany your announcement. This typically includes a brief synopsis or description for each programme item, key credits or personnel to highlight, and one or more stills or images to represent the selection:
- Write or refine synopses: Craft compelling one-paragraph summaries for each programme item. In a film festival context, this means boiling down the plot or essence of each film into a few intriguing sentences that will hook audiences and press. Emphasise unique points – award wins, premiere status (world/International premiere), notable cast or director – but avoid overly technical jargon or spoilers. For other types of festivals, a synopsis might be an artist description or event highlight. Tailor the tone to your festival’s style (a quirky genre film fest can use more playful language, while a documentary festival might keep it factual but impactful). Always get a second pair of eyes to copy-edit these synopses for clarity and grammar, and if possible have the content creator (director, artist, etc.) review it for accuracy.
- Double-check credits and attributions: Identify what credits are important for your announcement. For films, this usually includes the director, principal cast, perhaps the country of origin and year, and possibly producers or the original language – depending on what your audience cares about. Make sure names are spelled correctly (pay attention to accents or cultural naming conventions, as international festivals often include global entries – e.g. check whether a Spanish filmmaker uses two surnames, whether Indian names include middle names, etc.). For music or arts festivals, list the correct genre tags or group members for bands if relevant. Cross-verify these details with official sources (such as IMDB for films or the artist’s official website) to avoid any mistake. Getting a small fact wrong in an announcement can undermine your credibility and annoy the talent. It’s worth doing a final check with the participants’ representatives if possible – send them the credits as you plan to publish and ask for a quick confirmation that everything is in order.
- Select and format stills or images: From the deliverables you’ve gathered, choose 1–2 strong images for each film or artist to use in your announcement content. These could be film stills that capture the mood of the movie, or promotional photos of a band in performance. Ensure that the images are high resolution (suitable for media outlets to publish) and free of any watermarks or text. If images need credit (e.g. photographer name or “Courtesy of XYZ Films”), have that info handy and include it in your press kit or website. It’s wise to have at least one image in horizontal orientation and one in vertical if possible, to fit different layout needs. Before going live, check that all images display correctly on your website and social platforms – nothing worse than a broken image link or mis-sized photo at announcement time. Also, as mentioned, confirm one last time that you have usage rights for each photo in all the territories you’re promoting to (some films have separate international distributors, for example, so confirm it’s okay to use the still globally).
By preparing synopses, credits, and visuals with such meticulous care, you set the stage for a professional announcement. The media will appreciate having complete and accurate information, and potential festival-goers will be able to clearly understand why each line-up item is exciting.
Build Announcement Assets and Plan the Rollout
With content in hand, the next step is to build all the announcement assets and map out a rollout plan that maximises impact. This phase is about packaging your news attractively and deciding when and where to release each piece of information for the greatest sustained interest.
Create a central press release: Draft a press release that officially announces your festival’s line-up or programme. This document will be the cornerstone of your announcement – it should succinctly capture the highlights of the line-up, key details about the festival (dates, venues, themes, ticket information), and include memorable quotes from festival leadership. For example, a quote from your festival director might comment on the diversity or quality of the selection (“This year’s programme spans 20 countries, showcasing emerging talent alongside acclaimed masters, a mix that defines our festival’s spirit”). Lead with the big news (e.g. “The Melbourne International Film Festival today unveiled the full line-up for its 2025 edition, featuring 120 films including the world premiere of…”). Include a few spotlight titles or headliners to grab attention, but avoid making the body just an endless list – instead, summarise categories or sections (“10 films will compete for the Grand Jury Prize, including…; the music strand features performances by…”). At the end, list out the selections in an appendix or provide a link to the full list on your website. Also ensure the press release has contact information for media inquiries and a link to download high-res stills or EPK (Electronic Press Kit) materials.
Design engaging visuals and digital assets: Alongside text, visual presentation is vital. Most festivals continue the tradition of a lineup poster – a single graphic image that contains the festival branding (logo, dates, location) and highlights of the lineup. In the past this was a printed poster; today it’s often a digital graphic optimized for sharing on social media. Make sure this poster is eye-catching and aligns with your festival’s artwork theme. It could list the biggest film titles or artists, or use representative imagery. Ensure the text on the poster is readable (avoid overly small fonts for key info like dates or headliners – a common mistake is beautiful art that doesn’t clearly state the basic what/when/where). Beyond the poster, create additional assets for various channels: images or short videos for Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn (for more industry-oriented festivals), and even TikTok if your audience skews younger. Each platform may need a slightly different format (e.g., vertical videos for Stories, square images for grid posts). If possible, prepare a short teaser video that can accompany the announcement – for a film festival this might be a montage of clips from the films (ensuring you have rights to use those clips), and for a music festival it could be footage of past crowds and performers with text overlays revealing the new lineup. Having these assets ready in advance means once you go live, you can immediately start pushing out the news in a polished way.
Coordinate website and ticketing updates: It’s imperative that your festival website is updated at the exact time of the announcement (or just before, if you can quietly publish without the public seeing until you’re ready). Nothing frustrates eager fans more than hearing exciting news and finding nothing on the official site. Prepare a dedicated page or section listing the full line-up, sorted in a user-friendly manner (by date, by section, alphabetically – whatever makes sense for your event). Include the synopses and stills here for deeper engagement; many audience members and journalists will click through to read about each film or act in detail. Also ensure your ticketing platform is ready to handle the influx of interest. Ideally, coordinate so that ticket sales or registrations open in sync with the announcement or shortly after. Some festivals even tie their announcement to a ticket sales milestone – for instance, “Early Bird tickets on sale now – lineup just announced!” to convert excitement into purchases. Using an integrated ticketing system like Ticket Fairy can help, as it not only handles ticket sales but also provides marketing tools (such as referral programs and social sharing incentives) that turn your announcement buzz into tangible sales. Make sure any promotional codes or special offers are set up and clearly communicated if they’re part of your strategy (for example, a limited “announcement week” discount).
Plan a staggered rollout of information: Rather than releasing every detail at once and then going silent, savvy festival organisers schedule a multi-stage announcement campaign. This might start with a teaser or save-the-date communication weeks or months earlier (for example, announcing festival dates, location, or an exciting new venue partnership to build early awareness). As the lineup finalises, you might drop hints or partial reveals: one approach is to announce just the headlining film or artist (or a small first wave of names) early to spark interest, then follow up later with the comprehensive lineup. Many successful festivals use two or three “waves” of lineup announcements. For instance, a music festival might announce its main headliners in January, then in February reveal additional acts, and in March publish the full stage schedules. Each wave generates a fresh round of media stories and social media chatter, keeping the festival in the news cycle continuously rather than just one day. In film festivals, you might announce different sections on different days (e.g. competition films one day, special gala screenings the next) to give each segment its own spotlight and avoid overloading journalists with too much at once. The key is sustained interest – think of it as a drum-roll that crescendos towards the event itself.
When planning multiple announcements, ensure the timing aligns with marketing goals and logistics. Coordinate with your advertising schedule (if you plan to run ads or outdoor posters, time them around these waves). Keep your core audience in mind: if it’s an international festival, consider global time zones so that your news drops at a convenient hour for key regions (press in Europe, for example, won’t appreciate a midnight release). Staggering the rollout doesn’t mean dragging it out unnecessarily – it means being strategic about what to announce when. Always deliver meaningful content at each stage; audiences can tell if you’re just withholding information for the sake of it. If you only have a modest lineup, it might be better to announce all at once to make a bigger splash rather than trickling trivial updates. But if you have depth, plan a schedule where each announcement phase has a clear theme or focus.
Coordinate Exclusives and Media Coverage
To amplify your announcement’s impact, it’s wise to work closely with media partners and offer strategic exclusives. Major festivals often secure coverage in prominent publications by giving certain media outlets a first look at the news. Even smaller festivals can benefit from this tactic by targeting local or niche media. Here’s how to approach it:
- Identify key media outlets: Think about which news outlets or blogs your target audience pays attention to. For a film festival, the list might include industry trades like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, or Screen Daily, as well as popular film websites and local newspapers. For a music or cultural festival, it could be music magazines (Rolling Stone, NME), entertainment sections of major papers, or influential bloggers/YouTubers in your genre. Also consider geographic reach – a festival in Singapore might pitch exclusives to Straits Times or Channel News Asia, whereas an indie festival in Texas might work with Austin Chronicle or local radio.
- Offer exclusives or first releases under embargo: An “exclusive” means offering one outlet the chance to break a particular story before others. You might give a top publication the exclusive announcement of your full lineup or a high-profile element of it – for example, “Festival X shares its lineup exclusively with Variety”, ensuring a detailed article in Variety as soon as the news breaks. Alternatively, you could offer different exclusives to different outlets (one gets the opening night film reveal, another gets an interview with your festival director about the programme, etc.). The key is to arrange these in advance and under embargo. An embargo is an agreement that the journalist can have the information ahead of time but will not publish until a specific date and time. Coordinate these carefully: make sure all embargoes lift at the moment you officially announce (or in a coordinated sequence that you’ve planned), so that your exclusives don’t accidentally leak or upstage your own channels.
- Prepare press kits for media ease: Alongside exclusives, ensure that all media – not just those getting exclusives – are well catered to. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for any journalist to write about your festival announcement. This means having a press kit ready (often online) with your press release text, the full line-up list, high-res images for download, and even teaser video clips if applicable. If you have lots of films/acts, consider providing a few “selected highlight” images rather than overwhelming them with dozens of files. Also, be quick to respond on announcement day to media inquiries – journalists might reach out for quotes or clarification, and a speedy reply can make the difference in meeting their deadline (and getting your festival positive coverage). Dedicate a team member or publicist to handle incoming requests around the announcement period.
- Leverage relationships and local media: Don’t forget the power of local and niche media, especially for small to mid-sized festivals. A well-placed exclusive with a respected local outlet can drive ticket sales in your community. For example, a regional film festival in India might collaborate with a popular regional language newspaper or TV channel for first news, ensuring the announcement reaches the immediate audience in their language. Likewise, thematic festivals (like a horror film festival or a vegan food festival) should tap into genre-specific media – those audiences are highly engaged and more likely to spread the word within their communities.
By coordinating media coverage thoughtfully, you create a multiplier effect for your announcement. An exclusive story in a big outlet can lend your festival an air of prestige (“if Hollywood Reporter is covering it, it must be important”), while broad distribution of your press release ensures that even outlets without exclusives can pick up the story. The result is widespread awareness – your announcement appears not only on your own channels but across news sites, Facebook feeds, and industry forums, all around the same time. This concentrated burst of publicity, if managed right, translates into heightened interest, social media trending, and often a surge in ticket sales right after the announcement.
Sustaining the Interest Post-Announcement
The work isn’t over once the announcement is made – in fact, that’s when promotional efforts truly kick into high gear. A veteran festival producer will tell you that maintaining momentum after the initial announcement is critical to selling tickets and building excitement up until opening day.
Engage your audience with follow-up content: In the days and weeks after your big announcement, plan a stream of content to keep the festival in people’s minds. This could be profiles or spotlights on individual films or artists (“Film of the Day” posts that give a deeper look at one entry, with a trailer link or fun fact), countdowns (e.g. “10 days to festival kickoff: Here are 10 things not to miss”), or interactive elements like audience polls (“Which newly announced headliner are you most excited for?”). Social media is your playground here – share behind-the-scenes snippets about how the programme was curated, or quotes from directors about being selected. Encourage the artists and filmmakers in your line-up to post about their involvement too; when a band shares the festival poster or a filmmaker tweets about their film’s screening, it amplifies reach to their fanbases. Provide them with those materials and the correct festival hashtags so it’s easy for them to promote.
Monitor reception and be ready to adapt: Keep an eye on how the announcement is being received. Are there common questions arising (for example, “Is there a schedule yet?” or “When do individual day passes go on sale?”)? Be proactive in answering these via your channels or updating your FAQ. If a particular film or act is getting a lot of buzz, consider leveraging that – maybe feature it more in your advertising or use it as the hook in subsequent marketing. Conversely, if something you announced isn’t resonating or there’s any negative feedback (perhaps a controversial film choice or a headliner that some find underwhelming), acknowledge and adjust your messaging to address it. Sometimes a festival will add a last-minute surprise addition to boost excitement if they feel the lineup landed a bit flat – this is only feasible if you have something genuinely worthy and it was kept in reserve. Because you’ve maintained a versioned list, everyone internally will know if an update happens. If you do add or change anything after the final announcement, treat it as news and communicate it clearly (e.g., “Due to unforeseen circumstances, X film will not screen; instead we’re thrilled to announce Y as a late addition!”).
Logistics and risk management for the announcement event: If your announcement involves a live event or a press conference (as some larger festivals like Cannes or Berlin do), ensure all those logistics are smooth. This includes having a reliable live stream if you broadcast it, good sound and visuals at the press event, and print materials (like press packets) ready for attendees. Have a rehearsal if possible, and prepare for worst-case scenarios – for example, have a backup copy of the trailer video in case the first one glitches, and make sure multiple staff have the “publish” button ready on the website if the main person’s computer fails. From a risk management perspective, also plan how to handle any leaks: if a portion of your lineup leaks ahead of time (a reality in the age of social media), decide whether you will advance the announcement (if a major leak happens, sometimes the best move is to just release the info officially rather than letting rumors swirl). Always keep communications clear within your team so everyone knows the plan B if things change.
Finally, take a moment to celebrate with your team after the announcement goes out successfully. It’s a huge milestone in the festival production timeline. But remember to quickly pivot back to remaining tasks – now that the world knows about your festival, you want to capitalise on that momentum all the way until opening night. Marketing pushes, ticketing strategies, and event operations all flow from this point with greater intensity.
Key Takeaways
- Lock Your Line-up Early: Finalise your festival’s lineup with absolute certainty before announcing. Use a versioned list to track any changes and avoid confusion, and make sure all participants are confirmed and onboard to prevent last-minute dropouts or public retractions.
- Secure All Materials and Approvals: Gather synopses, images, credits, and other deliverables from every artist or filmmaker well in advance. Double-check that you have permission to use each asset and that all information is accurate – get approvals from content owners to catch any errors in synopses or billing.
- Craft Comprehensive Announcement Assets: Prepare a professional press release highlighting the festival and its programme, along with eye-catching visual assets (posters, social media graphics, teaser videos). Ensure your website and ticketing platform are updated the moment the news goes live so excited fans can find information and buy tickets without delay.
- Stagger Your Announcement for Maximum Buzz: Instead of one info dump, consider rolling out your news in stages – for example, a teaser, then a first wave of big names, then the full lineup. Each phase should offer fresh highlights, keeping media attention and public excitement sustained over time.
- Collaborate with Media Strategically: Leverage relationships with key media outlets by offering exclusives or early access under embargo. A well-placed exclusive in a major publication or a local news partner not only extends your reach but also lends credibility to your festival. Always follow up by distributing press materials widely so all media can cover your announcement.
- Post-Announcement Momentum is Crucial: After the announcement, continue engaging the audience with follow-up content, social media interactions, and any additional news (guest appearances, schedules, etc.). Monitor public feedback and be prepared to address issues or make tweaks. Keep the excitement building from the announcement all the way to opening day.
By embracing these practices, festival producers around the world can ensure that their festival’s big reveal is executed flawlessly – generating hype, media buzz, and ticket sales, while avoiding common pitfalls. A well-prepared announcement not only publicises your line-up effectively but also sets the tone for a successful festival event.
16th September 2025