Mayfest Business partnerships
We are always looking to build new relationships with local and national businesses who have synergy with our vision. We primarily do this through partnerships on Mayfest, Bristol’s biennial festival of contemporary theatre. Although there are lots of other projects and initiatives that we work on year round that may also fit with your brand or ethos. Get in touch to find out more and read on to find out more about Mayfest partnerships.
“Adventurous theatre for playful people’ is the come on from the brilliant Bristol festival, Mayfest, and it’s hard to resist the invitation when the theatre is this good”
— The Guardian
An international festival for the people of Bristol.
Mayfest transforms the heart of Bristol into a haven of creativity, where local, national, and international talent converge to deliver unforgettable performances. From the exhilarating dance shows on the tops of multi-storey car parks to the intimate encounters in houses, to gigs, parties and more, our festival offers a rich tapestry of experiences. But that's just the beginning.
We bring together the iconic Bristol Old Vic, the cutting-edge Tobacco Factory Theatres, the contemporary Arnolfini, and the vibrant Trinity, turning these venues into stages for an explosion of performance
Mayfest is a festival for Bristol with an international reach. Mayfest’s audience is a broad spectrum of ‘experience seekers’ of all ages. We attract upwards of 10,000 audience members each festival.
Our research tells us that our typical attendees enjoy new experiences, and love theatre, live music, contemporary art, and cinema. They are sociable, curious, and creative, and are as likely to be at the start of their careers as they are to be empty-nesters setting out to try something new. Our audience isn't confined to Bristol alone; we have a far-reaching impact. 60% of our attendees hail from Bristol, while 20% come from Bath and North East Somerset, and another 20% journey from across the UK and around the world.
And you can be part of it…
Our Audience
Mayfest’s audience is a broad spectrum of culturally aware adventure seekers.
70% of our audience are 18-35 g They enjoy new experiences, love theatre, live music, contemporary art, and cinema.
MOSAIC profiles: A (Alpha Territory, Voices of Authority, Serious Money); B (Professional Rewards, Mid-Career Climbers, Distinctive Success; O (Liberal Opinions, Bright Young Things, Urban Cool);
60% from Bristol, 20% from Bath and North East Somerset, 20% from across the UK and international
Our audience is sociable, curious, and creative. They follow the latest trends and occasionally set new ones. Every year we make new friends and we value them all.
“Few festivals sizzle quite so deliciously as Mayfest, which always succeeds in feeling both very local and completely universal.”
We are proud of being a festival made in Bristol, for the people of Bristol. We also have a national and international reach. The companies we partner with match that vision and have an interest in culture, the arts, sustainability, good living, and innovation.
Previous business partners include Pukka Teas, Triodos Bank, Bristol 247, Aperol, Harbour Hotels, Mark’s Bread, Hart’s Bakery, Extract Coffee, and Bath Ales.
Photos opposite: Aperol’s sponsorship of Mayfest 2018
Profile and Branding Opportunities
Each year around 10,000 people attend the festival, plus thousands more reaching our content digitally.
10,000 festival brochures
15,000 flyers printed
Extensive outdoor advertising campaign across the city from March to May
Social Media
11k Twitter followers (plus access to a further 150k+ followers from partner venues and organisations)
4k fans on Facebook (plus access to a further 30k+ fans on partner venues and organisations)
Extensive digital advertising across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram PPC and Google SEO
Direct Marketing
Inclusion in regular email marketing campaigns from Mayfest and our partner organisations, reaching tens of thousands of people.
Coverage
Mayfest has received coverage in the New York Times, The Guardian, Sunday Times, Independent, Bristol Post, Bristol247, Crack Magazine, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Points West, ITV West, Clifton Life, Bristol Magazine, and more.
Pay What You Can pricing
Making cultural experiences affordable for everyone
Our mission is to make important, unexpected, revelatory work with visionary artists that changes our experience of the world and each other. Mayfest offers exciting cultural experiences for broad audiences that invite you to reflect on the world we live in.
In 2022, we launched a new way of attending the festival. All our tickets were ‘pay what you can’, which means that audiences can decide how much they want to pay, from as little as £1. It was a resounding success, increasing audiences by 1500 and welcoming hundreds of new audience members who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford to attend.
Your support will enable us to continue to offer Pay What You Can pricing on all festival events, opening up the festival to new audiences, widening access to cultural experiences to people from across the city, and directly positioning your brand as leaders in the democratisation of culture.
Sponsorship Packages
We have three sponsorship packages available. We would also be happy to discuss bespoke packages to fit your objectives:
SUPPORTING
£1,000+VAT
Logo on festival brochures: 8k distributed around the city
5 exclusive invitations to the Mayfest opening night reception
Logo/credit on Mayfest website
MAJOR
£5,000+VAT
All of ‘Supporting’ benefits, plus
Logo on posters and signage in 6+ Mayfest venues
Logo on advertising campaign across the city
Inclusion on Mayfest social media (c11k followers on Twitter and c3000 fans on Facebook)
Logo and mention in Mayfest e-marketing campaign (c5000 subscribers)
PRINCIPLE
£15,000+VAT
All of the previous benefits, plus:
Headline sponsorship, with name recognition and logo on all printed and digital marketing material, including outdoor advertising
Exclusive hospitality options, such as pre-show drinks and opportunities to meet the artists
20 tickets to Mayfest events of your choosing
Mention on the festival press release (previous coverage has included The Guardian, Sunday Times, Independent, Bristol Post, Crack Magazine, BBC Points West, ITV West, Clifton Life, Bristol Magazine)
Advertising Rates
We produce 10,000 high-quality A5 brochures for Mayfest, which will be distributed around Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire. Our brochures are distributed to shops, cafes, bars, and arts venues.
Printed on high-quality waterless recycled stock, with eye-catching, contemporary design, advertising in the Mayfest brochure is a great way to connect with a culturally aware, adventurous audience from Bristol and around the world.
Full Page: £750
Half Page: £400
Quarter Page: £250
As well as an advert in print, we also offer free inclusion in social media and e-marketing at no extra cost.
To book a space email claire@mayk.org.uk
