IOV Commission · Festival practice
Festivals & Practices
The commission connects festival organisers with folk art groups and sets minimum conditions for clear planning, safe accommodation, and appropriate participant care.
Commission remit
Coordination with a duty of care.
The Commission on Festivals and Practices maintains the international folk festival calendar and supports exchange between organisers and folk art groups seeking performance opportunities.
Its standards focus on the practical conditions participating groups should be able to rely on before and during a festival.
- For organisers
- Standards and a route to festival membership.
- For groups
- Clear expectations for planning and participant care.
Minimum conditions
Festival standards
Member festivals are expected to meet the following requirements across three stages of participant care.
Before the festival
Participating groups receive the practical information needed to prepare their visit.
- Written invitation sent to all participating groups
- Full programme provided in advance
- Group information sheet shared before arrival
- Detailed performance schedule distributed to all participants
Accommodation
Accommodation must protect participants’ comfort, safety, and privacy.
- Clean, comfortable, and safe accommodation
- Adequate bathrooms with sufficient facilities
- Beds provided rather than floor-level sleeping
- Heating and cooling appropriate for the climate
- Lockable rooms for participant security
Meals
Daily food provision must be reliable, nourishing, and appropriate to participants’ needs.
- Three daily meals provided throughout the festival
- Nourishing and varied food appropriate to dietary needs
- Meals free of charge to all participating groups
Festival enquiries
Request a review for the international calendar.
Festival organisers can contact the commission chair to begin the application process. The festival is reviewed against IOV standards before it is added to the international calendar.