School & PTA Partnerships That Matter for Family-Friendly Festivals

Every successful family-friendly festival finds ways to engage the community’s youngest members. One powerful approach is forging partnerships with schools and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to create enriching experiences for students and their families. Around the world, these collaborations are paying off: the Bangkok International Festival of Dance & Music immersed over 2,000 children in the arts free of charge in its first year (www.bangkokfestivals.com), and the Hay Festival in Wales now welcomes more than 14,000 students annually through its free Programme for Schools (www.thebookseller.com). Such initiatives aren’t just feel-good add-ons – they build future audiences, satisfy educational goals, and deepen community roots. This guide distills decades of festival production wisdom into practical strategies for building school and PTA partnerships that truly matter.

Offer Field-Trip Mornings with Subsidised Transport

Scheduling field-trip mornings during your festival can be a win-win for schools and festivals alike. By setting aside a morning or weekday session exclusively for school groups, you create a safe, controlled space for students to experience the festival. Many organisers plan these trips on a day the festival is traditionally closed or before public opening hours, ensuring students get kid-friendly programming without the challenges of big crowds. For example, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival runs an annual “School Day” where 4th–8th graders enjoy a special field trip with tailored performances before general gates open (www.nojazzfest.com). This tradition, started in 1970, lets students immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of Jazz Fest in a fun, educational setting.

Making it affordable is key to encouraging schools to attend. Work with your budget and sponsors to offer free or heavily discounted tickets for students, and complimentary tickets for teachers and chaperones. Consider subsidising transport – transportation can be a major barrier for field trips, especially for under-funded schools. You might partner with local transit authorities or bus companies for reduced fares, or tap a sponsor to cover bus costs. In London, for instance, the School Party Travel scheme offers free off-peak transit for school visits to cultural venues (tfl.gov.uk). Even if such programmes don’t exist in your area, you can negotiate group rates or provide a travel stipend. The goal is to remove cost obstacles so that all schools, including those from low-income communities, can participate.

Logistics and timing should align with the school schedule. Communicate with schools to pick optimal dates (avoiding exam periods) and suitable times of day. Many festivals find mid-morning to early afternoon works best – enough time for an event and lunch, but allowing return to school by the end of the day. Florida’s Storytelling Festival schedules dedicated youth sessions (10:00–11:30am for elementary, noon–1:30pm for older students) so each age group gets an engaging experience at the appropriate level (flstory.com). Staggered sessions by age or grade, as they do, ensure content is age-appropriate and keeps younger kids and teens equally captivated.

When planning the program, curate content that will resonate with children and fulfill some learning objectives. This might mean arranging special performances or demonstrations tailored to a younger audience – think interactive music workshops, behind-the-scenes demos, or Q&A with artists. At large music festivals, consider having a few artists (perhaps local bands or youth-friendly acts) do shorter daytime sets designed for students. Jazz and folk festivals often excel at this: many have educational concerts where musicians introduce their instruments and cultural heritage. A great example is Canada’s Monterey Jazz Festival, which includes performances by its Next Generation Jazz Orchestra – a band of outstanding high school musicians – giving student audiences relatable young role models on stage (montereyjazz.org). Such programming both entertains and inspires students by connecting on their level.

To manage school group attendance smoothly, coordinate ticketing and check-in in advance. It helps to use a ticketing platform that supports group bookings or bulk registration. (For instance, Ticket Fairy’s platform allows festival producers to create special ticket categories or discount codes for school groups, making it easy to block out seats and track school attendees.) Provide clear instructions to teachers for arrival, entry, and seating. Having a separate entrance or check-in area for school buses can streamline logistics and keep things orderly. Additionally, recruit volunteers or staff as “school liaisons” for the day – they can greet each bus, guide groups to the right area, and be on hand to assist teachers with any needs.

Don’t forget safety and security considerations. Risk management for a field-trip morning means making sure the environment is child-friendly. Keep first aid stations and water accessible. Ensure all staff and volunteers interacting with minors have been vetted according to local requirements. If your festival has areas inappropriate for kids (e.g. beer gardens or mature content exhibits), cordon those off or schedule school visits in sections of the venue that are family-friendly. By thinking through these details, you build trust with schools that your event is a safe place for students.

Provide Teacher Toolkits and Post-Visit Activities

A festival field trip becomes far more meaningful when it’s reinforced in the classroom. Providing teacher toolkits and suggested post-visit activities can transform a one-off outing into a lasting educational experience. Teachers are more likely to advocate for an annual trip when they see it tying into their curriculum and learning outcomes.

Start by preparing an educator’s guide for your festival or specific field-trip program. This might include background information on performers or exhibits the students will see, vocabulary lists, and relevant themes or historical context. For example, the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) supplies teachers with pre-visit and post-visit discussion guides for its student screenings (nyicff.org). These guides often contain discussion questions, creative exercises, and prompts that encourage critical thinking about the content students engaged with. Whether your festival is about music, art, food, or film, a short guide connecting the experience to subjects like literature, history, science, or social studies can help teachers justify the trip academically.

Include some hands-on or follow-up activities that teachers can assign after the festival. If you run a food festival, for instance, a post-visit activity could be a simple recipe or a write-up where students describe a new cuisine they tried. At an arts or music festival, you might suggest that students draw their favorite festival moment, compose a short poem or song inspired by what they saw, or present to their class about an artist they learned about. The key is to reinforce reflection and creativity sparked by the festival. Many cultural festivals offer downloadable worksheets or creative challenges – even something like a scavenger hunt worksheet for the festival grounds can turn the visit into an interactive learning game.

It’s also helpful to align your toolkit with curriculum standards if possible. Consult a few teachers (perhaps via the PTA or district curriculum coordinators) on how your festival content might link to what students are learning. If you can say, for example, that attending the science fair section of your festival helps meet a science curriculum goal about “understanding the scientific method” or that your music performances tie into music appreciation standards, it gives administrators a clear rationale to approve the trip. Speak the educators’ language in your materials – use terms like learning objectives and outcomes. Some festivals even provide lesson plans in their toolkits. While not every festival will have the bandwidth to develop full lesson plans, even a one-page set of talking points and activity ideas is appreciated by busy teachers.

Don’t forget to make these resources easily accessible. Email the toolkit to participating teachers well before the festival day so they can prep students (building anticipation by discussing what they’ll see). Also have printed copies or digital links ready to hand out on the day of the event. One strategy is to host a “teacher preview” session or webinar ahead of the festival – walk teachers through the schedule, venue map, and the toolkit. This not only helps with trip planning logistics but also empowers teachers to connect the festival experience back to the classroom.

Finally, consider offering a post-visit feedback form or forum for teachers. Encourage them to share how they used the toolkit and what impact the festival visit had on their students. Their insights can help you improve future editions of the program. It also reinforces to them that you view this as a partnership in education, not just a one-day event. When teachers feel heard and supported, they’ll be your greatest allies in sustaining the school visit program year after year.

Reserve Showcase Slots for Student Ensembles

There’s nothing quite like the pride and excitement of seeing young people perform on a big festival stage. That’s why reserving a few showcase slots for student ensembles or youth talent can be so powerful. Inviting school bands, choirs, dance troupes, or other student groups to perform at your festival not only provides an unforgettable experience for those students – it also draws their peers, teachers, and families to attend and support them, boosting your festival attendance and community goodwill.

When planning your programming, identify opportunities to include youth performances. This could be as simple as a short opening act on a secondary stage each day featuring a local school’s music ensemble, or a designated “rising stars” hour where several youth groups perform in succession. Be mindful to schedule these at times when the general audience will appreciate them (for instance, an afternoon slot when families are present, or opening the day’s program to get the crowd warmed up). Large festivals have done this successfully for years. The Monterey Jazz Festival in California, for example, features its Next Generation Jazz ensembles comprised of top high school musicians, integrating them into the festival lineup alongside star artists (montereyjazz.org). In South Africa, Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre Centre runs an annual School Band Festival that put 172 young musicians from 11 high schools on stage in 2025 (www.westerncape.gov.za) – a testament to how much talent and enthusiasm is out there if you make room for it.

To involve student performers, you can coordinate with school music directors or art teachers well in advance. Some festivals hold auditions or a contest to select the student acts (which can itself generate buzz). Others simply rotate invitations among local schools to give everyone a chance over the years. If your festival is themed (say a cultural festival or genre-specific), try to match the student group to that theme – e.g., inviting a local mariachi youth band for a Latin food festival, or a school jazz band for a city jazz fest.

Be sure to provide professional support to these young performers. Treat them as you would any booked act: give them soundchecks, list them in the programme, and assign a stage manager to welcome and assist them on site. This might be the first time many of the students have performed at a large venue, so a little extra encouragement and guidance goes a long way. It’s also an excellent PR opportunity – local news loves stories about kids performing at big events. Promote these showcases in your marketing (“Don’t miss the 2:00pm performance by the All-City High School Orchestra on our Community Stage!”) as it underlines your festival’s community focus.

One thing to manage is expectations: make clear agreements on what equipment or instruments will be provided, the length of the set, and any ticket arrangements for the rest of the day. Often, festivals will grant free entry to the student performers and a limited number of family members or teachers so they can stay and enjoy the festival after their moment on stage. Coordinating this with your ticketing team (perhaps via special wristbands or promo codes for the school) avoids any confusion at the gate.

For the students, getting a spotlight at a festival can be life-changing. For the festival, these showcases add a heartfelt touch to the program and strengthen bonds with local schools. Parents and school administrators will remember that your event gave their kids a chance to shine. It’s an investment in goodwill that pays dividends in audience loyalty and community support.

Partner with PTAs and School Communities

While working directly with schools is crucial, don’t overlook the power of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and broader school communities in making these partnerships thrive. PTAs consist of engaged parents and teachers who often fundraise and advocate for enrichment opportunities. By partnering with PTAs, festival organisers can tap into a passionate network that will champion your event at the grassroots level.

Start by reaching out to PTAs at local schools early in your planning process. Attend a PTA meeting (or request a slot on their agenda) to present your festival’s school partnership idea. Explain how the field trip or student showcase will benefit students – academically, culturally, and personally. Be prepared to answer questions about safety, costs, and logistics. When parents hear directly that you are committed to an educational, safe, and fun experience for their kids, they’re more likely to get on board. If you have endorsements from other educators or a track record from previous years, share those stories here.

PTA fundraising support can also make a huge difference. Some PTAs have budgets to subsidise field trips or can allocate fundraising proceeds to cover ticket or transport costs. For example, a PTA might agree to pay for the buses if you, the festival, waive the entry fee for students – a mutually beneficial trade. Even if no money is exchanged, PTAs can help by rallying parent volunteers to chaperone the trip, organizing permission slips, or doing a bake sale to raise funds for travel. Recognise and thank these contributions publicly (e.g., “Special thanks to Lincoln High PTA for helping bring 200 students to our festival!”). This acknowledgment strengthens the relationship and encourages other schools’ PTAs to participate in future.

Another way to engage school communities is by involving them in the festival’s content or operations. Could the PTA run a refreshments stall at your family area as a fundraiser? Could you allocate a small booth for a school art display or science project exhibition? Some community festivals even let school clubs or PTA groups hold mini-activities at the event (like a face-painting booth run by a high school art club), which further integrates the school into the festival fabric. These collaborations give students leadership opportunities and give parents a stake in the event’s success. Just be sure to coordinate closely and ensure any such activity meets your festival’s safety and quality standards.

Communication is key with school communities. Maintain an open channel (assign a staff member as a school partnerships coordinator) to provide updates, answer questions, and handle coordination with multiple schools and PTAs. A monthly email in the run-up to the festival can keep everyone informed about deadlines (for ticket requests, bus parking info, performance schedules, etc.). PTAs will appreciate being kept in the loop so they can assist with communications on the school side. After the event, send a heartfelt thank-you note to the PTAs and maybe a recap (photos of the kids at the festival, a summary of what was achieved). This kind of relationship-building turns one-off cooperation into long-term partnerships.

Most importantly, approach PTAs and school groups with genuine respect and a spirit of co-creation. Rather than “we need you to bring students to our festival,” frame it as “how can our festival best serve your students and families?” When school communities feel like true partners rather than just an audience source, they will passionately support and even co-promote the festival. That kind of community buy-in is priceless, especially for events that aspire to be family-friendly fixtures in the region for years to come.

Report Outcomes and Secure Renewals

After cultivating these school and PTA partnerships, it’s essential to report the outcomes and demonstrate the value created. Providing a post-event report to school administrators, district officials, and PTA leadership ensures everyone recognises the impact and helps secure support for making the initiative a recurring affair.

What should you report? Start with the basics: how many schools participated, how many students attended, and what they experienced. Break it down by activities if relevant (e.g., “500 students attended two morning music showcases, 200 students’ artwork was displayed in our gallery,” etc.). Highlight any qualitative feedback – quotes from teachers or students about what they enjoyed or learned. For example, if a teacher tells you “our kids were thrilled by the science show and haven’t stopped talking about it,” ask to include that quote (with their permission) in your report. Photos are fantastic here: a couple of images of students wide-eyed at a performance, or a school band on your stage, speak volumes about the experience (ensure you have photo releases as needed).

If you collected any hard data (perhaps via teacher feedback forms or student surveys), present those results. Maybe 90% of teachers said the field trip linked to their curriculum, or 85% of students said they would want to explore more music/arts after the festival. These metrics demonstrate educational value. If you distributed teacher toolkits, note how many were downloaded or any positive teacher comments on them. Also include any media coverage the school activities generated – a local news piece on “Students Take Over City Festival for a Day” is golden proof of community impact.

Translate these outcomes into benefits for the school/district. Administrators will be looking for how it enriched students and justified the time out of class. Emphasise things like exposure to careers in the arts, cultural exchange, inspiration for class projects, or even socio-emotional benefits like confidence and creativity. If your festival has an official mission or mandate (many do, like non-profits with community goals), align the results with that as well, since it can support grant applications or sponsorship renewals on your side. For instance, “Bringing 1,000 local students aligns with our mission to make the arts accessible to all youth.” If any part of the program specifically targeted underserved schools or had scholarship support, underscore the equity aspect: that you reached students who might not otherwise have such opportunities.

When reporting outcomes, format matters. A concise, well-organised report or infographic will be more effective than pages of text. Consider a one-page summary you can send to school district officials and PTA boards. You might include sections like “By the Numbers”, “Student Testimonials”, “Teacher Feedback”, and “Photos from Festival School Day.” Deliver this report within a few weeks after the festival while the excitement is still fresh. A copy should also go to any sponsors or grant organisations that supported your school initiatives – it demonstrates ROI and can help re-engage their funding next year.

Finally, use the report as a springboard to discuss renewal for next year. In your cover email or follow-up meeting, express gratitude (“Thank you for partnering with us to inspire 1,200 students this year…”), share the success highlights, and then propose locking in the next edition. Schools plan their calendars early, so if you want a School Day next year, get it penciled in on the district calendar as soon as possible. If you encountered any issues this time (say, transportation snafus or schedule clashing with tests), acknowledge them and outline your plan to improve. This proactive, transparent approach builds confidence that your festival’s school partnership is not a one-off fling, but a dependable educational outing that will only get better with time.

Cultivate Long-Term Impact (Schools Scale Reach Ethically)

Engaging with schools and PTAs isn’t just a short-term attendance boost – it’s a strategy to cultivate long-term audiences and community impact in an ethical, sustainable way. By integrating your festival into the educational and family life of your community, you’re essentially growing alongside your future festival-goers.

Why do we say “scale reach ethically”? Because partnering with schools to expand your audience is fundamentally a mission-driven approach, not a marketing gimmick. You’re reaching more people, yes, but through providing genuine value (education, inspiration, cultural exposure) rather than flashy ads or ticketing tricks. This builds a reservoir of goodwill. Parents, in particular, will view your festival as a positive influence on their children, making them more likely to attend as a family and recommend the experience to others. A family-friendly reputation can become a strong selling point in your broader marketing.

There are ripple effects to consider as well. Today’s student on a field trip might become tomorrow’s paying attendee or even a performer or staff member down the line. Many festivals have stories of youth participants coming back as adults: the teenager who played in a school jazz ensemble at your event could be inspired to pursue music professionally, or the child who loved a science demo at your festival might return years later with their own kids. By sowing these seeds, you’re ensuring the festival’s legacy and relevance for the next generation. In essence, you’re future-proofing your audience base. Festivals that engage young people tend to stay vibrant in programming and perspective, continually infusing fresh energy.

Moreover, school partnerships can strengthen your case to stakeholders that your festival is a community asset. City councils, cultural agencies, and sponsors love to see real community outreach. It’s not uncommon for festivals with strong education programs to receive grants or public funding because they deliver social value. For example, the Hay Festival’s free schools programme has significant charitable support and reaches thousands of pupils, underlining its role in literacy and arts education (www.thebookseller.com). Similarly, some festivals in developing regions bring the festival experience directly to students who can’t travel – the Jaipur Literature Festival’s outreach initiative has reached about 60,000 children by sending authors to local schools (jaipurliteraturefestival.org). These efforts show funders and authorities that the festival is not just entertainment, but also education and community development.

In scaling up these initiatives, keep yourself anchored to the ethical considerations. Always approach schools with respect for their time and constraints – avoid scheduling demands that conflict with school priorities, and be sensitive to inclusivity (ensure your invitations extend to all schools in the area, not just those more privileged). When you grow from serving 2 schools to 20 schools, maintain quality: it’s better to give an amazing experience to a smaller number than a subpar experience to many. Slowly but surely, word will spread and your school partnership program can expand. It might even inspire other festivals to follow suit, creating a more family-friendly festival culture across the industry.

At the end of the day, building school and PTA partnerships is about creating real connections. It’s the sight of a child’s face lighting up at their first live concert, the collective cheer of proud parents in the audience, and the thank-you email from a teacher who saw her students learn outside the classroom walls. These are the moments that remind festival producers why we do what we do. And by investing in these partnerships, you’re not only doing right by the community – you’re also ensuring that your festival’s spirit carries on to future generations, ethically and enthusiastically.

Key Takeaways

• Design dedicated School Days or mornings: Set aside specific times for school field trips with child-friendly programming (e.g. special performances before public opening). Work with school schedules to maximise participation.
• Remove barriers to attendance: Offer discounted or free tickets for students and free entry for chaperones. Seek ways to subsidise transport (sponsors, travel schemes) so that cost isn’t a hurdle for any school.
• Educational value is paramount: Provide teachers with curriculum-linked toolkits, background materials, and post-visit activity ideas to extend learning beyond the festival visit. This helps schools justify the trip and increases its impact.
• Showcase youth talent: Reserve slots in your festival lineup for student ensembles or art showcases. Featuring school bands, choirs, or performances draws family audiences and gives kids a life-changing opportunity on a big stage.
• Collaborate with PTAs: Engage Parent-Teacher Associations early to help champion the program, assist with funding or volunteers, and integrate the festival into the school community. Treat them as genuine partners and co-creators.
• Track and report success: Gather feedback and data (attendance numbers, student/teacher comments, photos) from the school initiatives. Report these outcomes to schools, districts, sponsors, and media to highlight the positive impact and pave the way for continued or expanded partnerships.
• Build for the long term: View school partnerships as an investment in your festival’s future audience and mission. By inspiring young attendees now, you cultivate loyal future patrons and community goodwill, allowing your festival to scale up its reach in an ethical, socially responsible way.