Providing Basingstoke Festival with research and student expertise

Taking place over three weekends across Basingstoke and Deane, the family-friendly free outdoor arts festival has been running for 15 years. Featuring music, dance, visual art and street theatre, the festival - run by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council - invites residents and visitors to engage with and explore the arts.

Using a range of data-driven research tools, collaborative analysis and practical insights, Solent researchers will deliver in-depth findings on who attends the festival, why they take part and which groups may currently be under-represented.

Through a mix of data analysis and on-the-ground research, the project will also explore how the festival contributes to local pride, cultural identity and Basingstoke’s profile as a place to live, work and visit.

“We are hopeful that our findings will play a key role in evidencing the festival’s economic and social impact, supporting future funding and helping organisers to shape a programme that reflects the needs and aspirations of the community,” says research lead Matt Sanger, Senior Lecturer in Business Management.

Five students from Solent’s School of Business, Law and Society are supporting the research, carrying out fieldwork, surveys and audience interviews -providing them with valuable career-focussed experience and bringing fresh perspectives to the project.

The project highlights the growing importance of specialist research in supporting free, place-based events at a time of increasing financial and operational pressures.

Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Culture Cllr Kerry Morrow said: “It’s so important to us to understand what drives our audiences and communities to experience Basingstoke Festival. Investing in arts and culture for everyone to enjoy for free is really important to us and the results of this research will shape the future of the festival to make sure our events reach more people than ever.

“The wide range of skills the students bring are valuable to making this year’s festival – and future ones – a success. Their artwork showcase will be a bold and unique draw for audiences visiting Basingstoke town centre and their video skills will be on display to promote future festivals and encourage even more people to discover Basingstoke Festival.”

Alongside its research contribution, Solent University is also delivering creative projects that showcase student talent and enhance the visitor experience.

Solent Productions - the University’s media centre - has been commissioned to capture the festival on film, with a student-led crew working across the festival to record performances, activities and interviews. Providing a professional record of the event while giving students practical experience of working on live projects for external organisations.

Visitors will also be able to experience Art in a Container, an innovative pop-up exhibition led by Nina Sverdvik, Photography Course Leader for Photography from the University’s School of Creative Industries. Taking place in War Memorial Park during the festival’s final weekend, the installation transforms a shipping container into a striking showcase of student artwork, bringing contemporary visual art into the heart of the town.

Professor Cathy Barnes, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Academic Strategy and Planning at Southampton Solent University, says:

“Our work with Basingstoke Festival demonstrates how universities like Solent can work with local organisations and communities to create solutions, drive innovation and deliver meaningful impact for the region. Through sharing research, expertise and talent, we can help ensure festivals like this continue to thrive and deliver real benefits for communities, while providing our students with career-ready opportunities to build essential skills and contribute to work that has a direct impact on people and places.”