5 minute read
SPOOKY BUSINESS
Bedford played host to LPH Concerts’ inaugural Halloween Town Festival. Greg Costa, senior project manager, reveals all
Zombie ticket collectors, ghoulish ghosts and killer clowns were just some of the characters greeting festivalgoers at LPH Concerts and Events’ latest new venture when Halloween Town Festival took over The Great Meadow, Bedford, in October.
Craig David presents TS5 headlined the opening night of Halloween Town Festival (October 29-31), a new threeday event for 2021, which also saw David Rodigan, Shy FX, The Levellers, and Peter Hook and The Light play to 5,000-strong audiences.
All the acts took to a custom-built, three-story stage with a giant 40ft LED screen, flanked by Halloween-themed performers and walkabouts.
It was the first time that Halloween Town Festival had graced the town; it was a brave move to launch an event in a year where there has been so much event uncertainty.
However, LPH Concerts’ Greg Costa, Halloween Town Festival’s senior project manager, was certain that the time of year – Halloween – was the right time for a new event: “I’ve been toying with the idea for about seven years,” Costa said. “I come from a club promoter background, and I was finding that Halloween was busier than any bank holiday or New Year’s Eve. Sometimes, I’d have two or three Halloween events going off at the same time because of their popularity.”
He continued: “The event needed to be indoors because of the time of year and the weather but I wanted the event to have a festival feel. I almost produced an event in Milton Keynes in 2018 but couldn’t get the licence sorted in time.”
Costa partnered with Mark Harrison, managing director of LPH Concerts and Events. Harrison found The Great Meadow in Bedford. The venue was eery with plenty of space for multiple stages.
“We applied for a licence in May 2020. We thought COVID would have blown over by then, but it became more apparent that it wasn’t going to happen. Then we applied again for our licence, and it was granted in January. But we still gave it another month. Every month, we’d ask the question: ‘do we put our balls on the line and risk it, or wait?’
“It was now or never. Halloween comes only once a year, so I booked the acts for Friday and Saturday and Mark booked the Sunday.”
NOT YOUR AVERAGE NIGHT OUT
In April, Costa and the LPH team started to promote the show, which was scaled down slightly because of COVID.
“We originally planned for more than one stage with a 10,000 capacity,” explained Costa. “We took the advice of the council and planned for one stage and 4,000 people. For year one, in a small town like Bedford, and considering what we were up against, we were happy with that.
“But when we went on sale, ticket sales were not as quick as we would have liked. We sat down and basically said ‘would you buy a Christmas hamper in April?’. Consumer confidence was low, we were still in a pandemic, it was a new event – we did not panic but changed our marketing strategy to focus on Halloween and the artists. From August, we saw consistent sales.”
Costa described the event as probably one of the most stressful that he has organised, but it was worthwhile.
© Haze Photography
© Haze Photography
© Haze Photography
Supply chain issues were managed by Harrison’s “black book of contacts” and there was nothing that could not be overcome.
“I had forgotten what it was like to start a brand from scratch, when you have nothing to go on from the year before,” Costa added. “We had to sell the show based on our line-up. That wasn’t easy because some of the DJs we had booked had 30 to 40 shows before ours. But Halloween is that one night of the year where you can dress up and have some fun; it’s not your average night out.”
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Costa and the LPH Concerts and Events team have big plans for Halloween Town Festival, including the event’s “Chiller Room”, VIP areas and costume characters. “We’re looking at a second stage and we hope to push our numbers up to 8,000,” Costa explained. “Our main goal is to top what we did this year.
“We’re busy working on the line-up, we’re busy looking at the logistics of adding a second room and we’re talking to sponsors and partners to grow Halloween Town Festival.
“Perhaps promoting a Halloween festival in April was too early but without sounding too cliché, this event really was a team effort to make it what it was.
“I haven’t seen anything like this before, in terms of production, in a small town like Bedford. It wasn’t an event in a big top with one stage and some lasers. The attention to detail was second to none and that’s why people are now talking about us,” Costa concluded.
© Eray Kaya
SUPPLIERS LIST
Technical production – Ethix Management Video – Ethix Management and The LED Shed Set design – MW Set Design. Cabins and containers – EP Cabins Fencing and barriers – Red Herring and CG fencing Power – Ethix Management Ground protection – Davis Trackhire Temporary structures – A&J Big Tops and Big Top Marquees Safety management – JP Consultancy Security and stewarding – Belmont Guarding
Big Tops From 1,000 To 17,000 Capacity From Traditional To The Latest In Tensile Design
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Please visit our website and see the selection of big tops we have available for hire
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Tel: 01733 222999 Email: sales@ajbigtophire.com Email: admin@ajbigtophire.com We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers and future clients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for your business and we look forward to working with you in the future.
We would like to thank The Arts Council England for their help and support through the Pandemic.
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