Music to your eyes
The rise of visual arts at UK music festivals
Visual arts at festivals used to mean little more than some live video of the act on stage and (if you were really lucky) a few pyrotechnics when the bass kicked in. Not anymore.
In recent years, the visual arts have emerged not just as an enhancement, but as a defining feature of the festival experience, bringing structure, identity and soul to the spaces where music lives.
Multi-discipline installations at Glastonbury festival
Nowhere is the rise of visual arts at festivals more evident than at Shangri-La, Glastonbury Festival— it is a great example of collaborative art forms working together. The famous (or perhaps infamous) late-night corner of the festival fuses political satire, interactive installations and cutting-edge design to challenge and entertain.
We’re proud to have helped shape this environment over the years, with ambitious structures and bold visual interventions. For us, it’s about provoking thought as well as giving the audience the good time they’ve come for.
Immersive visuals in Norfolk woodlands
Another great example of how visual arts feature in festivals is at Houghton Festival, Norfolk, where the integration of sculpture, light and spatial design plays a central role.
Houghton has gained a reputation for curating not only electronic music but also installation art environments; ranging from towering steel structures to temporary light installations by internationally renowned artists. Its art programme growing with the festival continues to excite.
Introducing the Level Ground Sculpture Prize
In 2027, we'll be introducing another artistic element to Glastonbury Festival, with a new annual award supporting bold, publicly accessible artworks.
Rooted in the festival’s creative legacy and shaped by a free, inclusive submission process, the prize offers a fresh approach to how large-scale art is commissioned, experienced and shared.
Led by LevelGround CIC, a sister company of Creative Giants, the initiative aims to foster deeper connections between artists and audiences, and to spotlight sculpture as a vital part of the festival.
Level Ground beyond Glastonbury
Level Ground is also developing a national programme of temporary public sculpture sites that will bring ambitious artworks into everyday settings. These installations won’t be locked behind bureaucracy or restricted to traditional arts venues. Instead, they’ll appear in towns, parks and neighbourhoods across the UK.
A bold new movement in public art
Through open access, artist mentorship and active community engagement, Level Ground’s mission is to make public art more inclusive, morevisible and more connected.
By starting at Glastonbury, Level Ground is building visibility and momentum for a broader public art movement. One that is grounded in equity, creativity, and real cultural impact.
We’re proud to be working at the forefront of visual installations at festivals again. But we’re even more proud to be building a model for what public art can be: artist-led, community-connected, and open to all.
