When the Summerbreeze becomes a Shitshow: 20 Years on Climate Risk

Presented by Kulturdirektoratet

Festivals used to worry about ticket sales. Now it’s wind warnings, heatwaves, and whether the stage will still be standing by showtime. Extreme weather is no longer a distant threat – it’s already disrupting festivals worldwide.

Drawing on 20 years of data and more than 2,000 disrupted events, new global research reveals a clear and uncomfortable truth: live events are far more fragile than we like to think. Heatwaves, storms, flooding, and infrastructure failures are already reshaping how culture is produced, funded, and experienced. The weather isn’t a side issue anymore. It’s a dealbreaker.

In this session, researcher Andrew Lansley breaks down how and why events fail under pressure – and what needs to change. Drawing on recent research and ongoing work with the CLMA Climate Contingency Roadmap, he outlines what organisers, venues, funders, and artists need to understand now: how to assess risk, what to plan differently, and how to build events that can withstand disruption.

Together with moderator Mia Frogner, the conversation moves from data to decisions:

What risks are organisers still underestimating?
How can 20 years of research help us prepare for 2026?
And how do you plan a festival when the weather is no longer predictable?

This isn’t about distant climate scenarios. It’s about what happens on site, in real time – and what needs to change before the next show gets cancelled mid-set.

Moderated by Mia Frogner (Sustainability lead, Arts and Culture Norway and former Head of Sustainability at Øyafestivalen)

Moderated by Mia Frogner (Arts and Culture Norway), Sustainability Lead (Climate & Environment), and former Head of Sustainability at Øyafestivalen.

Panelists: Andrew Lansley (CEO, The Very Good Solutions Company). With nearly 30 years of experience across culture, events, and policy, and is currently undertaking PhD research at Music Futures UK focusing on environmental regulation for live events. His work centres on climate risk, adaptation, and how the live sector can respond to increasing environmental pressure.

He is one of the project leads for the UK’s Green Events Code of Practice Pilot, working with Julie’s Bicycle, Vision for Sustainable Events and local authorities across the nation to test progressive policies in establishing environmental baselines for outdoor events