Encounter Festival Unveils New Brand Identity

Encounter Festival, the annual arts and cultural event in Preston, is proud to unveil its new brand identity for the upcoming 2024 festival.

The rebranding initiative aims to better reflect the festival's essence and its core strands, including the Torchlight Procession, community engagement, and bringing top-tier arts, culture, and performances that have defined Encounter since its inception in 2015.

Scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 21, and Sunday, September 22, 2024, Encounter Festival promises to be an authentic celebration of Lancashire's diverse cultural offerings, showcasing high-quality and high-profile arts.

Encounter Festival has grown from its humble beginnings in 2015 to become a cornerstone of Preston's cultural calendar. Over the years, it has gained recognition for its ability to bring together diverse communities and offer unique artistic experiences.

Working in collaboration with Source Creative, a Lancashire-based company with operations in both Preston and Blackburn, to deliver the new Encounter Festival branding. Source Creative brings extensive experience in the arts and culture sector, having worked on numerous county and national festival identities.

Sarah Threlfall, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Community and Wellbeing at Preston City Council, said:

"Our goal with this rebranding is to better communicate the essence of Encounter Festival and its impact on the community. We want the new brand to resonate with both our loyal audience and those who are new to the festival." 

Esther Ferry Kennington, Executive Producer at the Encounter Festival said:

"We're excited to introduce our new brand identity, which we believe captures the vibrancy and diversity of our festival, and we're excited to share it with our audience. This revitalised branding reinforces our commitment to embedding ourselves more deeply in the heart of Preston and its communities. We want everyone, whether from Preston or beyond, to feel welcome and included in our celebration of art and culture. This fresh look will attract even more festival attendees and help us achieve our goal of increasing attendance to 60,000 for the two-day festival."

Encounter Festival's mission is to celebrate and nurture the creativity, ambition, and capacity of artists in Preston, across Lancashire, the UK, and beyond. It aims to be a favoured event within the community while significantly growing in reach and recognition.

The 2024 edition of Encounter Festival will highlight a diverse programming lineup that appeals to a wide audience. From the iconic Torchlight Procession to street theatre, workshops and performances, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

For more information about Encounter Festival 2024 visit Encounter Festival.

Further Information

About Encounter Festival

Encounter Festival is an authentic voice for Preston, celebrating the breadth of the County's diverse cultural offer with high quality and high-profile arts. Taking place on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September, Encounter Festival sees the city of Preston buzzing with life and alight with creativity. The past Encounters have seen an array of spectacular performances, inspiring arts and impressive music, bringing spectators to their feet.

About The UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The GOV.UK - UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government's Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

About Arts Council England 

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let's Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government's unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Funds.