News

London, UK, Tuesday 20th October - Superstruct Entertainment has launched The Front Row, a new event series designed to give brands and agencies the insight and inspiration they need to unlock the potential of partnerships in live entertainment.

As live entertainment grows in cultural significance, festivals offer brands a powerful opportunity to connect with audiences through shared experiences, culture and community. Live outdoor events are worth £25 billion a year to the UK economy1, underlining the significant economic contribution of the sector. Yet, for brands, the opportunity extends beyond reach and visibility: the right partnerships can create deeper audience connections, build relevance and deliver tangible commercial results.

The Front Row series brings together brands, agencies and industry leaders to explore how to make these partnerships work harder for fans and partners alike. The first installment in the series took place in London on Thursday 15 October, under the theme ‘Can Brands Create Joy and Connection at Festivals?’

The event featured a keynote from Luisa Fortuna, Superstruct’s Global Research and Strategy Lead. In her wide-ranging presentation, Luisa outlined three roles brands can play at festivals: making the experience easier, inviting people to engage, and becoming part of the festival’s story. The central message was that brand fit alone is not enough; partnerships need to offer something audiences genuinely value.

There was also a fireside conversation between Alex Mahon, CEO of Superstruct Entertainment, and Glyn Fussell, Co-Founder of Mighty Hoopla, moderated by Nick Lound of Superstruct UK.

Drawing on perspectives from across the live entertainment industry, the discussion explored why shared live experiences are becoming increasingly valuable to audiences, what makes Superstruct’s approach to brand partnerships distinctive, and how brands can build culturally relevant relationships that endure beyond the event itself.

The discussion brought these principles to life through examples including DHL’s presence at Lost Village, where a themed depot and stage embraced the festival’s distinctive identity, and UNO at Boardmasters, where an interactive beach-house experience gave fans a place to play the classic card game and connect.

At Mighty Hoopla, Lidl teamed up with Hunsnet to present its “Live, Laugh, Lidl” activation that saw live performances from Celine Deal On and resident DJs, offering fans the chance to win Lidl merchandise. Meanwhile, the Hayu Arena returned for its third year, pairing reality TV personalities with a playful line-up of pop acts to reflect the festival’s love of pop culture and entertainment.

Together, the examples illustrated how brands can move beyond traditional sponsorship to become part of the experiences and shared memories that make festivals meaningful, creating opportunities for deeper audience engagement and commercial value.

The next installment of The Front Row is scheduled to take place in February 2027.

Alex Mahon, CEO of Superstruct Entertainment, said:

“Live experiences offer something fundamentally different: the opportunity to be present, discover something unexpected and connect with other people in real life. That’s what makes festivals so powerful.

“For brands, the opportunity isn’t simply to be seen. It’s to understand what makes each festival and its audience distinctive, and to contribute something that makes the experience more valuable for fans. Through The Front Row, we want to help brands and live entertainment leaders understand how to create partnerships that deliver genuine value for audiences and businesses alike.”

Glyn Fussell, Co-Founder of Mighty Hoopla, added:

“People come to festivals for much more than the line-up. They come for the community, the shared experiences and the feeling of being part of something. At Mighty Hoopla, joy and a sense of belonging are at the heart of what we do.

“Brands can be a brilliant part of that, but they need to understand the culture they’re stepping into. The best partnerships bring something unexpected, playful or genuinely useful to the audience. When a brand gets that right, it becomes part of the memories people take home with them.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The Power of Events, The Value of the UK Outdoor Events Sector, June 2026

ABOUT SUPERSTRUCT ENTERTAINMENT

Superstruct Entertainment is a British founded, owned and operated live entertainment group, home to more than 80 festival and live event brands globally. Its portfolio includes some of the most respected and culturally significant events in the world, such as Mighty Hoopla, Wacken Open Air, Lost Village, Flow, Defqon.1, Sónar, Zwarte Cross, Arenal Sound, Øya, Parookaville and Boardmasters.

Superstruct’s approach is built on creative independence. The group partners with founders and local teams to help festivals grow while preserving the identities, communities and cultures that make them unique. While operating at international scale, its festivals remain locally led and deeply rooted in the places and communities they serve. Combining entrepreneurial creativity with operational expertise, Superstruct supports millions of people each year to come together through live experiences, music and culture.

For more information, visit: https://www.superstruct.com/

MEDIA CONTACT
media@superstruct.com