Statistics
Finland Festivals study of festival finances shows: Festivals are 70 per cent self-financing
28 May 2010
The Finland Festivals organisation has once again investigated the financial structure of its member festivals, this time on the basis of financial results for 2008. The study shows that Finnish festivals continue to be very largely self-financing, with an average of 70 per cent of festival revenue deriving from ticket sales, business partnerships and other fundraising activities. Only 30 per cent of income is covered by subsidies from local and central government and various foundations.
The aggregate budget of the festivals reviewed was more than 39 million euros, and our conservative estimate of total festival revenue in Finland is about 45-50 million euros.
The technical aspects of the survey were handled by Media Clever Oy. Responses were received from 68 festivals, which is 84 per cent of the cultural events affiliated to the Finland Festivals organisation. A similar survey based on figures for 2007 was made a year ago, and so the new study also includes a comparison between findings for 2007 and 2008.
Finland Festivals is not publishing key financial data for individual festivals, so the reader should remain aware that the figures provided are averages for the festival sector as a whole. The performances of individual festivals vary considerably, as the sector is exceedingly diversified.
Staffing costs only ten per cent
Festivals generate an average of 70 per cent of their income from various revenue sources. The principal source is ticket sales, which account for 16.6 million euros or 43 per cent of the total budget. Business partnerships provide 11 per cent, with a further 16 per cent coming from various other revenue sources (restaurant sales, product sales and other miscellaneous income items).
The largest single expense item is artist and production costs, which take up 51 per cent of the budget. Marketing costs amount to 10 per cent, with fixed costs for clerical staff and rents making up a further eight per cent. Other unspecified expenses total 21 per cent. The size of this latter segment is due to the fact that many festivals are unable to distinguish between production and other costs, because these often form part of a larger expenditure item (such as the cultural activities budget of a local authority). Most of this segment nevertheless also comprises artist and other costs associated with actual production.
Fixed salary costs constitute only ten per cent of total festival outlays. This high degree of administrative efficiency arises because the festivals studied employ an aggregate permanent staff of only 157 people. Temporary staff tend to be hired at the time of the actual festival, with just under two thousand people employed in this way. Volunteers also continue to be vital to the success of festival events, with nearly five thousand involved in festival activities during 2008.
For further details please contact:
Kai Amberla, Executive Director, Finland Festivals
Tel. +358 40 551 5752
kai.amberla@festivals.fi
