Gender-based violence amongst music festival employees

New feminist movements (e.g. #MeToo) brought to the forefront of public consciousness the widespread prevalence of workplace gender-based violence (WGBV). These movements have yet to influence the workplace environment of music festivals in the UK, which may be due in part to the academic (and industry) focus on audiences as consumers who characterise festivals as facilitating experiences free from the constraints of everyday lives. While an important part of understanding what festivals can create for audiences, the experiences of festival employees, who construct these liberating spaces for audiences, have been marginalised. There are indicators that WGBV is widespread amongst music festival employees, making the marginalisation of employees even more problematic. This chapter will give centre stage to WGBV amongst music festival employees by first reviewing research on WGBV. Then research on indicators of music festival WGBV will be discussed and contextualised by untangling the gendered power dynamics of music festival organisational structures. The chapter will conclude by exploring manifestations of WGBV in music festival workplaces, including impacts employees may experiences, and draw from the Women and Equality Commission (2018) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (2018) to make recommendations for policies and future research.