Learn

British Council, in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, have created the South Asia Festivals Academy in response to the growth in independent and established arts and culture festivals. The South Asia Festivals Academy short courses offer an opportunity for the festivals sector to learn together with the UK, online in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Festival managers can learn about international programming and curation; leadership and governance; financial management, operations and staffing; marketing and audience development; risk management and health and safety; equality, diversity and inclusion; and environmental sustainability. The courses aim to strengthen the arts and culture festival sector through provision of skills, capacity building and knowledge sharing with experts and festival leaders from the UK and region.

Background:

In 2019, British Council led a series of professional development residency courses, with access to international arts management and creative opportunities, working with various festival partners in Goa and Guwahati. These were followed by a successful digital edition of the Festivals Academy Intermediate Course (January 2021) and the delivery of the South Asia Festivals Academy 2021 Beginners course (September-December 2021).

South Asia Festivals Academy courses are run with and accredited by Edinburgh Napier University according to the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework(SCQF), Scotland’s national framework.