Following the resuming of international touring in summer 2022, we launched a Post-Brexit touring survey to continue understanding the impact of Brexit for UK and EU outdoor artists as well as presenters.
Gathering hard data related to the consequences that the UK’s departure from the European Union is having on the outdoor arts sector is crucial for us to be able to:
- Demonstrate the financial and administrative impact that this is having on the sector
- Advocate for change in legislations and procedures, to make mobility easier
- Identify what the needs of the sector are
- Continue getting funding to create resources and facilitate further learning
- Propose ways further to continue supporting you in navigating the current landscape
What are the main takeaways from the survey?
- The impact of Brexit is higher for UK companies than it is for EU–based artists
- Brexit is affecting mobility between the UK and the EU and decreasing the number of outdoor shows that are touring between these two regions
- The main challenges for companies and presenters are the ongoing financial impact and significant administrative burden to manage additional paperwork and logistics
- This affects smaller–scale companies to a higher degree, forcing some of them to stop touring to Europe as a result
- Despite there being a number of resources available for both artists and presenters, respondents to the survey expressed a lack of confidence and clarity when it comes to accessing the latest information and ensuring that all requirements are being met
- Smaller festivals are likely to be unable to afford presenting work from the UK/EU
- For some UK work, cabotage and cross–trade rules mean that companies are choosing to fly more frequently or having to come back to the UK between gigs, therefore creating more environmental impact
- The withdrawal of participation in EU funding schemes such as Creative Europe as affected the UK’s position in the international scene and the possibilities for European collaborations between these two regions
- UK outdoor arts is still being recognised by European professionals as an exciting market and there is a continued desire to maintain links between mainland Europe and the UK
Read the full survey key findings report here.
We would like to thank you all the artist, companies, festival and presenters who took the time to answer the survey, your contributions are really appreciated.
This work is supported by Platform 4:UK, XTRAX’s Arts Council of England funded project for international collaboration in outdoor arts.
Image credits: Born to Protest by Joseph Toonga and Just Us Dance Theatre at FiraTàrrega 2022 © Nuria Boleda