Bestival founder Rob Da Bank and Catfish & The Bottlemen went home with some of the main prizes from the first ever Festival Congress Awards when the ceremony was held at Cardiff’s Portland House on Friday (October 17th).
“What a way to kick off the first ever Festival Congress Awards, with some terrific winners and plenty of good fun in the mix,” John Rostron, vice-chairman of organisers the Association Of Independent Festivals, has said.
“The fact there are winners here who aren’t even a part of the AIF, yet have been nominated and voted for by our membership, demonstrates the great spirit of support for the sector, which runs throughout the AIF. Our festivals LOVE festivals, and there’s a lot of love for these worthy winners.”
Rob Da Bank was presented with the Outstanding Contribution award, while Catfish & The Bottlemen were named Live Act Of The Year. The full list of winners is as follows:
Outstanding Contribution Award:
Rob da Bank
Supporter Of Emerging Talent Award
2000 Trees
New Festival On The Block
Fire in the Mountain
Silver Service Award
Goan Seafood Company
Unique Festival Site
Festival No.6
Live Act Of The Year
Catfish & the Bottlemen
Artist for the Audience
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
Mind-Blowing Spectacle Award
The Arcadia Spider
Smart Marketing Campaign Of The Year
Bestival Mirror Ball
Random Act Of Kindness Award
End of the Road audience
Culture & Tourism Award
Forward Thinking Local Authority, Dorset County Council
Friendliest Security Staff
Showsec
Festival Blogger Of The Year
Shell Zenner
Emmet Brown Award
Shambala Festival
Festival Venue Of The Year
End of the Road
Unsung Hero
James Goodall