Festivals with Benefits

Delivering interactive festival activities is a popular way for researchers to engage with a wide range of people.  Many of us believe there is great value in such engagement, not just for festival-goers, but for researchers too. However, there is little published data backing this up.  This poster highlights the benefits, challenges, and learning gained from 8 years of the FUTURES Festival. Our extensive evaluation evidence identifies the ingredients and support which ensures researchers can deliver high-quality public engagement; demonstrates the skills they gain from taking research to festivals; and suggests how to articulate, enable and reward researchers’ development.