Managing Activities

Activities are non-artist events that add structure and variety to your festival program. From opening ceremonies to workshops, from food events to special sessions, activities help you schedule everything that happens at your festival beyond musical performances.

What Are Activities?

Activities in Stagecraft are distinct from artists. While artists are performers with social media profiles and musical content, activities are all the other scheduled events in your festival:

• Opening and closing ceremonies
• Workshops (instrument workshops, songwriting sessions, etc.)
• Food and beverage events (chef demos, tastings, meals)
• Community activities (parades, gatherings, welcomes)
• Special sessions (panels, talks, Q&As)
• Festival operations (sound checks, briefings)

Key Differences from Artists

Activities are simpler than artists:

Both artists and activities can be:

• Added to events
• Scheduled in the program
• Assigned to stages
• Managed with the same permissions

Adding Your First Activity

Common Activity Types

Ceremonies and Special Events

Opening Ceremony

• Welcome speeches
• Traditional welcomes
• Festival introduction
• Set the tone for the event

Closing Ceremony

• Thank you speeches
• Announcements
• Awards or recognitions
• Festival wrap-up

Special Performances

• Collaborative sessions
• Impromptu performances
• Festival finale

Workshops and Educational Sessions

Music Workshops

• Instrument tutorials
• Songwriting sessions
• Vocal technique classes
• Music theory discussions

Skills Development

• Dance workshops
• Craft sessions
• Technical skills (sound, lighting)
• Industry panels

Food and Beverage Events

Meal Times

• Community breakfast
• Festival lunch
• Dinner service
• Food truck hours

Culinary Events

• Chef demonstrations
• Cooking workshops
• Wine or beer tastings
• Local food showcases

Community and Social Activities

Gatherings

• Morning yoga
• Group activities
• Kids’ activities
• Volunteer meetups

Festival Operations

• Volunteer briefings
• Artist sound checks (when open to public)
• Site tours
• Information sessions

Adding Activities to Your Program

Once created, activities appear in the program builder alongside artists:

Viewing and Managing Activities

Viewing Activities List

The Activities tab shows all activities for the current event:

• Activity name displayed prominently
• Description preview (if provided)
• Hero image thumbnail (if uploaded)
• Edit and Delete buttons for managing

Editing Activity Information

To update an activity:

Removing Activities

To delete an activity:

Best Practices

Naming Activities Clearly

Be descriptive:

• ✅ Good: “Opening Ceremony”, “Lunchtime Songwriting Workshop”
• ❌ Bad: “Event 1”, “Workshop”

Include key details:

• Who it’s for: “Kids’ Dance Workshop”
• What it is: “Sound Engineer Q&A Panel”
• When/where: “Main Stage Sound Check” (if needed)

Writing Helpful Descriptions

Include essential information:

• What happens during the activity
• Who should attend (everyone, volunteers, specific groups)
• What to bring (for workshops)
• Any prerequisites or requirements

Example:

Join us for our annual opening ceremony! We'll hear from festival
organizers, local indigenous elders will perform a traditional welcome,
and we'll set the stage for three amazing days of music. All festival-goers
are welcome. Ceremony begins promptly at the listed time.

Organizing Activities

Group similar activities:

• All workshops together
• All ceremonies clearly labeled
• Food events consistently named

Be consistent:

• Use the same naming format
• Keep similar activities together in time
• Maintain professional descriptions

Common Scenarios

Recurring Activities

If an activity happens multiple times (like “Lunch Break”):

Option 1: Create one activity, schedule multiple times

• Create “Festival Lunch”
• Schedule it at 12pm each day

Option 2: Create separate activities

• “Saturday Lunch”
• “Sunday Lunch”
• Allows for different descriptions if menus vary

Choose based on whether the activity changes between occurrences.

Activities Across Multiple Stages

If an activity happens on multiple stages simultaneously:

1. Create the activity once
2. Schedule it on each stage at the same time
3. Consider adding stage names to descriptions if details vary

Example: “Opening Ceremony (Main Stage view)” vs “Opening Ceremony (Overflow stage)“

Workshop Series

For related workshops:

Option 1: Single activity

• Name: “Songwriting Workshop Series”
• Schedule at different times
• Update description with session topics

Option 2: Separate activities

• “Songwriting Workshop: Getting Started”
• “Songwriting Workshop: Advanced Techniques”
• More specific, easier to schedule

Common Questions

Can I convert an activity to an artist or vice versa?

Not directly. They’re separate entity types. If you need to change something from an activity to an artist (or vice versa), you’ll need to delete and recreate it.

Do activities appear in the public program?

Yes, activities appear in your festival program just like artist performances. They’re scheduled on stages and appear at their designated times.

Can I have activities without stages?

No, all scheduled items (artists and activities) must be assigned to a stage. If you have activities that don’t have a physical stage, consider creating a general stage like “Festival Grounds” or “Various Locations”.

Can activities have social media links?

No, activities don’t support social media links. If you need to link to social media, use an artist instead, or include links in the activity description.

Why separate artists and activities?

Separating them keeps your system organized:

• Artists are performers with ongoing presence (social media, multiple shows)
• Activities are one-off or simple events that don’t need that complexity

This makes your program clearer and easier to manage.

Troubleshooting

Can’t create activity

If you’re unable to create an activity:

• Verify you have Editor or Admin role (Viewers cannot create activities)
• Check that you’ve filled in the required name field
• Ensure your subscription is active
• Try refreshing the page and trying again

Activity not showing in program builder

If an activity doesn’t appear when building your program:

• Make sure you created the activity in the Activities tab first
• Verify you’re in the correct event
• Refresh the program builder
• Check that the activity wasn’t accidentally deleted

Changes not saving

If your activity edits aren’t saving:

• Check your internet connection
• Verify you clicked the Save button
• Try refreshing the page and editing again
• Check if another user is editing the same activity

What’s Next?

Now that you know how to manage activities:

• Manage artists →
• Build your program schedule →
• Learn about stages →