AGF (A Greener Festival) reveals 29 events and arenas from 11 countries as finalists in the International AGF Awards 2023. Awards are given across 9 important sustainability categories, including power, water, food and travel, and the top accolade of the International Greener Festival Award 2023. The ceremony will be held on 28th February during the Green Events & Innovations Conference at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.
Finalists are selected from all AGF certified Greener Events, Greener Festivals and Greener Arenas over the last year, with top scores across key sustainability criteria. Applicants undergo a detailed assessment, site visits, and analysis by AGF auditors. To be eligible to enter the awards it is necessary to apply for certification and provide evidence such as fuel or electricity and water usage, waste transfer notes, transport measurements, material traceability, and survey data.
AGF CEO Claire O’Neill said “Congratulations to all of the finalists and nominees and huge thanks to all of the individuals who put in the work to make events, arenas and festivals greener. Since the beginning of the AGF Awards in 2007, this is the first year that we have arenas and even football and a royal pageant in the awards. Going greener is well and truly transcending barriers.”
And the Shortlists are:
International Greener Festival Award
(supported by STACK-CUP)
Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Green Gathering (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Paradise City (BE)
Pete The Monkey (FR)
Platinum Jubilee Pageant (UK)
Shambala Festival (UK)
We Love Green (FR)
Greener Transport Award
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Luno presents All Points East (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Paradise City (BE)
Rosendal Garden Party (SE)
Walden Festival (BE)
WECANDANCE (BE)
We Love Green (FR)
Community Action Award
Green Gathering (UK)
Luno presents All Points East (UK)
Forest Green Rovers FC (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Platinum Jubilee Pageant (UK)
Robin Hood Annual Benefit (US)
Shambala Festival (UK)
Sonidos Liquidos (ES)
Circular Event Award
(for reduced waste & resourcefulness)
Boom Festival (PT)
Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Green Gathering (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Shambala Festival (UK)
Strawberry Fields (AU)
We Love Green (FR)
Greener Catering Award
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
elrow Town (NL)
Forest Green Rovers FC (UK)
Green Gathering (UK)
Platinum Jubilee Pageant (UK)
Shambala Festival (UK)
Strafwerk Festival (NL)
WoNDeRFeeL (BE)
Greener Power Award
Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Elrow Town (NL)
Green Gathering (UK)
Leopallooza (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Shambala Festival (UK)
SWR3 New Pop Festival (DE)
Pied Piper Award
(for Greener Communication)
Boom Festival (PT)
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Forest Green Rovers FC (UK)
Greenbelt Festival (UK)
Øya Festival (NO)
Platinum Jubilee Pageant (UK)
Shambala Festival (UK)
Sonidos Liquidos (ES)
AGF Water & Sanitation Award
(supported by Loowatt)
American Express presents BST Hyde Park (UK)
Boom Festival (PT)
DGTL Festival Amsterdam (NL)
Paradise City (BE)
Pete the Monkey (FR)
Primavera Sound (ES)
Strawberry Fields (AU)
We Love Green (FR)
Greener Innovations Award
Global Broadcast @ Atlantis Concert for Earth (PT)
Biological Water Treatment @ Boom Festival (PT)
Inflatable Recycling @ elrowTown (NL)
Moon Loos @ Green Gathering (UK)
Green Mobility Plan @ Paradise City (BE)
Bike Rally @ Pete The Monkey (FR)
Summer Daze @ The O2 (UK)
WomenInFan Initiative @ Sitges Film Festival (ES)
Farmers Brunch @ WECANDANCE (BE)
The International AGF Award ceremony is accessible and takes place during GEI, organised by AGF in partnership with the ILMC (International Live Music Conference).
Limited tickets are available here Green Events & Innovations Conference.
Notes to Editors
About AGF
AGF is a not-for-profit company and founders of the world’s first sustainability standards for festivals and events. Committed to helping events, festivals and venues around the world to be greener, AGF provides certification, education and training, consultancy, resources and green riders, and facilitating the exchange of good ideas. They share information about how environmentally efficient methods are currently being employed at events and how the impact on the environment can be limited at future events. They offer independent assessment and verification of events and venues sustainability claims through the AGF certification for festivals, venues, tours and events. https://www.agreenerfestival.com
Category descriptions
AGF Greener Transport Award
One of the biggest impacts of many temporary events. Audience, production, crew and artists with our transport sector still staggeringly carbon heavy, who’s reducing their carbon footprint, facilitating green travel, and still delivering the party!
AGF Greener Catering Award
Food is such a significant issue for sustainability for its ethical and environmental impacts both globally and locally. By consciously crafting our consumption choices and what we support with our bellies, we can make some huge strides toward a more sustainable relationship between one another and our planet.
AGF Greener Power Award
Event power is a hot topic in the realm of sustainability, and costs, and is also a hotbed for innovation. This award goes to the event that has successfully maximised their energy efficiency and adopted a power source that has the lowest impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
AGF Community Action Award
A strong connection with the local community and sense of community within the event or venue is celebrated here. This award recognises those demonstrating outstanding social inclusion, action for unity and acceptance between people, and positive projects that provide benefit to others beyond the event itself.
AGF Circular Award
This one goes to the event that has demonstrated a firm grasp of the need to close the loop on their resources flow. Every item that comes into the event or venue ultimately has a plan above disposal. Preventing waste, reusing, recycling and demonstrating the full traceability of all materials coming in and out of the event.
AGF Water & Sanitation Award
The winner of this award has shown clear environmental consideration in their water usage and sanitation provisions, by reducing water usage and waste, minimising production and poo mileage, eliminating unnecessary chemicals and separating liquid waste streams to allow natural biological processes to harness valuable nutrients and conserve water.
AGF Greener Innovation Award
This goes to the outstanding innovation, initiative or invention that has been a game changer in the green event space, that has disrupted business as usual or has given a new solution to help turn something problematic into something good. This award can go to either an event and individual or a supplier that has stood out the most from the global event assessments.
AGF Pied Piper Award (Greener Communications)
Who has the silver tongue and skips along like the pied piper, luring unsuspecting victims to a greener way?! This award goes to the event that has had an excellent communication and PR plan which has resulted in significant cultural or behavioural changes for the greener good within and beyond their event!