OUR WAY FORWARD: 2024 RESEARCH
The Pittenweem Arts Festival prides itself on being a community-driven celebration of art and creativity. This year we conducted in-depth research to understand the perspectives of our visitors, artists, and also, for the first time, our local community. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in our 40-year history, ensuring that every decision we make is evidence-based and aligned with the festival’s core mission.
We extend heartfelt thanks to all research participants. Your insights are shaping our strategy and improvements for 2025 and beyond.
Visitors - what we learned
Our visitor research provided rich insights into who attends the festival, why they come, and what can be improved.
Visitor Demographics:
- 79% repeat visitors (compared to 62% in 2014). While loyalty is high, attracting first-time visitors (21%) remains a challenge.
- 70% of attendees are aged 55 and over—more than double the proportion in 2014. This highlights the need to engage younger audiences.
What They Value:
- 62% cited a "day out" as a primary motivator, alongside 37% seeking to explore art.
- 65% purchased art, spending an average of £280 – (up from £180 in 2023).
Experience Highlights:
- 94% would highly recommend the festival to others
- Word of mouth remains the primary source of awareness (50%), followed by local sources (24%) and social media (13%).
- Over 60% used the new website for planning, and 25% used our social media channels for information.
- 20% of visitors (compared to 10% in 2023) attended an event during the Festival.
Areas for Improvement:
- Transportation: 90% arrive by car, which puts pressure on parking. Despite a new train link to Leven, public transport use is negligible.
- Catering: Visitors noted limited refreshment options.
- Art: Visitors mentioned generally the large amount of seascape-based art and lack of new work for some returning artists.
The Artists' Perspective: Creative Insights
Artists are the heart of the Pittenweem Arts Festival. This year's research provided an insight into their challenges and successes.
- 68% have exhibited at the Festival before.
- 79% rated their support as excellent (up from 37% in 2023).
- 95% rated the Festival as financially viable (up from 68% in 2023).
- 89% were likely/very likely to return, and 96% were likely/very likely to recommend the festival to other artists.
- Artists were mixed on their views on how they would prefer to see Festival-managed venues allocated.
Areas for potential improvement were highlighted as:
- Improvements to brochure, map and village signage.
- More events and music – with the events being featured within the brochure.
- Broader local publicity in tourist outlets, museums and galleries.
- Support with finding venues.
Our 2025 Action Plan
- Continue to improve artist communications, including clearer timelines and venue allocation processes
- Better signage to direct visitors to less-trafficked areas.
- A campaign to secure more venues and helpful guidance for venue owners who may be interested in participating.
- Using more video on socials, introduce more content on TikTok and YouTube to boost engagement and visibility.
Chart: Artists' status
Our Community's Voice
The festival owes much to the residents of Pittenweem, whose support and cooperation make it possible.
Emerging Themes:
- Community pride: residents appreciate the festival's cultural significance and economic contributions to the village.
- Challenges highlighted: increased traffic, noise, and parking difficulties were noted as concerns. Some locals expressed a desire for greater collaboration between the festival and the community.
Our 2025 Commitment:
- Increase community-led initiatives.
- Develop mechanisms for more open feedback and collaboration.
- Expanding community-centric events, supporting groups and promoting heritage where we can.
- Continue to work with local authorities on traffic management solutions.
- Enhanced waste management during the festival week.
Photograph by Keny Drew
Future Strategy
Our research allows us to develop a 3-year strategy, and our operational approach for 2025 and beyond. This will include themes such as:
- Evolving the Festival to stay relevant, including arts programming to meet - and challenge - visitor expectations.
- Enhancing Accessibility and Sustainability - promoting public transport routes and looking at ways we can support venues to be inclusive.
- Upgraded Visitor Experiences – continue to increase the variety of events, including family-friendly workshops and early evening activities.
- Looking at additional ways to improve the artists' experience, including communications, venue support and guidance.
Continuing the Conversation
The Pittenweem Arts Festival is evolving, and your feedback plays a vital role in shaping its future. We are committed to inclusivity, sustainability, and providing a platform for artistic excellence. If you have ideas or suggestions for improvements, we’d love to hear from you—reach us at info@pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
Registered Charity: SCO24165
Company Limited by Guarantee: SC233084
Registered Office: 47 High St, Pittenweem, KY10 2PG
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.