It is best to write something personal rather than a blanket email sent to ‘many’ so try and find the name of the person you need to contact

Weigh-up the costs and benefits of each event before you continue ‘badgering’ them and potentially wasting valuable time and enthusiasm

Realise your own value and worth, don’t underestimate your originality and be prepared to work all-hours necessary to make a good impression

Set yourself realistic goals otherwise you may be disappointed and dis-heartened if you don’t reach them

Try and keep your application short and to the point. If there is no forms or information to guide you concentrate on giving them the what, where and why in just 3 paragraphs

Do not be ‘form-o-phobic’ (afraid of forms) once you have done one you can copy and paste what you’ve already written to use in other applications

If you are lucky enough to be contacted by a festival and are invited to play make sure you are both clear about what’s expected… number of artists, crew, performances and budget etc. This is always a nightmare so make sure you have a clear idea of what you’re after – offering BEFORE you start applying.

Some festivals provide application forms with a deadline for you to meet. Above is an example of an application form for performance and roaming artists to be seen at a UK summer festival.