Panel: The Festival Season 2026

IFF’s conference programme is set to open at 10am on Tuesday morning with a blockbuster lineup of agents and festival leaders discussing the main takeaways from 2026’s festival season, while giving their pointers and predictions for 2027 and beyond.

After a welcome address from Philip O’Ferrall, CEO of Outernet, The Festival Season 2026 will see Chair James Drury (IQ Magazine), Emma Banks (CAA), Pavla Slívová (Colours of Ostrava/Yourope), Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio) and James Wright (UTA) dig into the topics that keep everyone involved in festivals awake at night.

From cancellations, cost hikes and climate change, to the emergence of a new generation of headliners and the place of festivals in artists’ careers, IFF delegates will be able to join in the conversation about the issue that really matter.