Winterfolk Timelines

October — Main Booking Push

• Continue outreach to priority artists
• Send offers to first-round artists
• Begin filling:
  • Headliner slots
  • Featured slots
  • Festival showcases
  • Afternoon/early slots
• Track responses and availability
• Begin building tentative daily lineups
• Identify gaps in genre, instrumentation and lineup diversity

November — Fill the Lineup

• Second round of artist offers
• Follow up with artists who haven’t responded
• Fill remaining slots
• Confirm fees and contracts
• Start locking in specific venues/set times
• Review the lineup as a whole to make sure there is variety

December — Finalize

• Complete outstanding artist bookings
• Confirm all artist agreements
• Finalize:
  • Artist names
  • Set times
  • Venues
  • Fees
  • Lineup configurations
• Collect bios, photos and promotional materials
• Identify any cancellations or problem areas early

January — Production & Promotion

• Finalize schedule
• Confirm every artist’s:
  • Arrival time
  • Set length
  • Lineup
  • Technical requirements
  • Contact information
• Create festival schedule
• Prepare website/social media listings
• Begin/continue artist announcements
• Send artists promotional materials
• Make sure every artist is actively promoting

Early February — Final Checks

• Reconfirm every artist
• Reconfirm set times and venues
• Resolve substitutions/cancellations
• Finalize artist information for programs and website
• Send final schedules to artists
• Make sure production/venue teams have complete lineup information

Festival Week

• Final artist confirmations
• Artist check-in/contact system
• Handle last-minute cancellations or schedule changes
• Make sure artists know where/when to perform
• Keep communication open between artists, venues and production