Shambala Becomes Britain’s First Ever Worker-Owned Festival

Shambala Becomes Britain’s First Ever Worker-Owned Festival

The founders of Shambala have transferred ownership of the music festival to their employees, making it the first such event in the UK to be owned and controlled by its workers. Kambe Events, the company behind the 26-year-old festival, said on Tuesday that the co-founders will cede the business to workers under an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). ​“In an increasingly commercialised festival scene, we simply could not sell to venture capitalists …

Shambala founders transfer control of the festival to an employee ownership trust

The co-founders of music festival Shambala have announced they are transferring ownership of the event into an ‘employee ownership trust’, meaning the Shambala business will basically be controlled by the team that delivers the festival. Announcing the move, the festival’s MD and co-founder Chris Johnson says, “all of us at Shambala have an emotional stake in what we have built over 25 years - now everyone has an ownership stake too. We would be…

Shambala to become first employee-owned UK festival

“Shambala stands for independence and, in an increasingly commercialised festival scene, we simply could not sell to venture capitalists or the big promotion companies”

Shambala is now the UK's first employee-owned festival

Kambe Events, the company behind Northamptonshire-based Shambala Festival, has become the UK’s first festival business to transition to employee ownership, the company has announced today. The move sees the festival’s original co-founders step away from ownership, handing the business to its team through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). The announcement comes at a time of significant industry consolidation, with many independent festivals faci…

Shambala becomes first UK festival to transfer to employee ownership model

The company behind Shambala has today announced a landmark transition to employee ownership, becoming the first festival in the UK to adopt this model.

Shambala festival becomes employee owned

Kambe Events, the company behind the 15,000-capacity Shambala festival, has announced that the event’s co-founders are stepping away from ownership and ceding the business to the team members who have helped build it. The transition will see the independent festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, owned by an Employee Ownership Trust. At a time when the festival sector is increasingly dominated by major promoters, Shambala’s fo…