FestForums marks 10th year with Santa Barbara return and new safety training

FestForums will return to Santa Barbara’s Mar Monte Hotel Feb. 3–5, 2027, for its 10th anniversary conference focused on the future of festivals. The event will add a new internationally accredited risk-management course, plus an awards ceremony and benefit concert tied to a local charity.

Why it matters: - FestForums is a key B2B gathering for festival producers, organizers and industry leaders across music, food, wellness and film. - The 10th edition signals a milestone for the festival business as it looks at ticketing, technology, safety, sustainability and audience growth. - The new Showstop® Procedure course adds a formal safety-training layer for venue, event and security leaders.

What happened: - FestForums® will return to the beachfront Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara, California, from Feb. 3–5, 2027. - The 2027 conference marks the event’s 10th year. - The theme is "Firsts & Future: A Decade of Festival Unity." - The conference is presented by Festival Pro and produced by Pink Bows Foundation, WMT Digital, FEVO and EventTech Systems. - FestForums® 2027 is expected to bring together hundreds of festival professionals from around the world. - The event will include curated panels and interactive workshops.

The details: - FestForums® 2027 will feature industry leaders, innovators and decision-makers tied to major festivals worldwide. - Past attendees have represented SXSW, Coachella, Sundance Film Festival, Burning Man, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Global Citizen Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, Summerfest, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Outside Lands, BottleRock, Netflix Is a Joke, Stagecoach, The Governors Ball and ESSENCE Festival. - Chef Adrianne Calvo will speak on designing festival experiences that audiences keep talking about. - Kevin Lyman, founder of Vans Warped Tour, will also appear. - Programming will cover festivals from around the world, brand partnerships, ticketing, technology, sustainability, AI in festivals, safety and security, financing and building the next generation of live-event fans. - FestForums® 2027 will introduce the Showstop® Procedure course, described as the only internationally accredited training program for risk management at live events. - The course is presented with the Pink Bows Foundation ahead of the conference. - The program is designed to give venue, event and safety leaders a process for recognizing risks and intervening when safety is at stake during a performance. - The full 2027 agenda is available at festforums.com/agenda-2027. - The complete speaker lineup is available at festforums.com/2027-speakers. - Registration and tickets are available at festforums.festivalpro.com.

Between the lines: - The 10th-anniversary theme frames the conference as a bridge between festival veterans and newer operators shaping the next decade. - The added risk-management course suggests festival safety and incident response remain major priorities for live-event organizers. - The Santa Barbara setting and beachfront venue keep the event positioned as a networking conference as much as an educational one. - The annual awards ceremony and benefit concert give the conference a broader community and charity angle beyond business programming. - Dave Mason will be honored in February 2027 after being feted at the first FestForums by Malcolm McDowell; Mason also performed at the conference. - Winifred Mason and several musicians will take part in the celebration of his life. - The benefit concert will support Adam's Angels, a Santa Barbara nonprofit, with proceeds going to the organization as the event’s charity partner.

What's next: - FestForums® will hold a separately ticketed Annual Awards Ceremony and Benefit Concert on opening night, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2027, at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club in Santa Barbara. - The conference itself runs through Friday, Feb. 5, 2027. - Organizers will continue releasing agenda and speaker information ahead of the event. - Attendees can expect networking, panels and workshops focused on the festival industry’s next phase.

The bottom line: - FestForums® is using its 10th year to expand its role from industry meetup to a broader platform for festival strategy, safety training and community fundraising.