Bartenders serving cocktails to guests across a crowded festival bar tent
Consulting Services /

FESTIVAL CONCESSIONS

One of the top 5 features that will make or break your festival experience — and bottom line.

Bonnaroo Music Festival logoSXSW (South by Southwest) festival logoForecastle Festival logo (Louisville KY)High Water Festival logoBig Ears Festival logo (Knoxville TN)Plus dozens more festivals

OVERVIEW

Food and beverage isn't just a requirement — it's a brand statement, cultural touchpoint, and one of your festival's top revenue streams.

We curate the optimal mix of brands, vendors, pricing and placements to elevate your patrons' experience.

From strategy to sourcing, setup to executing, we deliver an impactful concessions plan that maximizes revenue and rave reviews.

We've done this for decades — now let's do it for you.

Festival food and beverage concession vendors serving guests — concessions strategy engagement reference

DELIVERABLES

We design the perfect mix of food and beverage offerings — tailored to your locality, audience, seasonality and sales goals.

INCLUDES
  • Revenue goals and strategy to reach them
  • Concessionaire sourcing and partnership agreement
  • Vendor permitting, licensing, tax, and insurance coordination
  • Curated F&B lineup matched to geography, audience, and seasonality
  • Placement strategy for optimal vendor flow and sales conversion

OUTCOMES

REVENUE

Maximize sales from your #1 on-site income stream — often the difference between profit and loss.

EXPERIENCE

Delight guests with food and drink options they will remember — and come back for more.

EFFICIENCY

Reduce operational overhead, liability, staffing needs and constraints.

BRANDING

Craft a signature F&B identity through a thoughtful food and drink strategy.

JK McKnight, founder of Art of Impact

JK MCKNIGHT

Your point of contact — and the experience leader behind AOI.

JK McKnight has spent 25 years in festival development. He founded Forecastle Festival, growing it from 50 people into a 75,000-person destination event and one of America's most critically acclaimed festivals. He later worked with AC Entertainment (Bonnaroo, Big Ears, High Water, Railbird and more). Today, he helps founders design, produce, and grow world-class festivals through proven strategy, specialized expertise, and decades of firsthand experience.

Read JK's full bio

Frequently Asked Questions

The full concessions picture: revenue goals and the strategy to reach them, concessionaire sourcing and partnership agreements, vendor permitting/licensing/tax/insurance coordination, a curated F&B lineup matched to geography, audience, and seasonality, and a placement strategy for optimal vendor flow and sales conversion. From strategy to sourcing, setup to executing, we deliver an impactful plan that maximizes revenue and rave reviews.

1.5 months from kickoff.

We start with your revenue goals, then source the right concessionaires and negotiate partnership agreements on your behalf. We also coordinate vendor permitting, licensing, tax, and insurance so the operational and legal details are handled — reducing your overhead, liability, and staffing constraints.

We design the perfect mix of food and beverage offerings tailored to your locality, audience, seasonality, and sales goals. Then we map a placement strategy for optimal vendor flow and sales conversion, so the lineup delights guests while maximizing on-site revenue.

Decades of experience curating the optimal mix of brands, vendors, pricing, and placements. Food and beverage isn't just a requirement — it's a brand statement, cultural touchpoint, and one of your festival's top revenue streams. We've done this for decades, and we deliver an impactful concessions plan that maximizes revenue and rave reviews.

Festival main stage at sunset with crowd — Hayden James performance

Take your festival to the next stage

Schedule a free discovery call with our team. We’ll assess where you are, where you want to go, and exactly how we can help you get there.