What Does A Regional Festival Look Like?

To date, AYCO has hosted regional festivals in New York City, Chicago, Connecticut, and Southern California.  Check out the events page for information about upcoming 2012 regionals in Chicago, Rochester, and Vermont!

All these events were:

• One day long
• Featured workshops and showcase
• Included both adults and children
• Low cost to attend (around $50 per person)
• Around 100 people in total
• Hosted indoors by a youth circus organization

AYCO plans to include the following elements in future AYCO festivals:

• Outreach and inclusion – we want to make the events accessible to those with limited ability to pay, and to reach out to people not yet affiliated with a youth circus but with a connecting interest e.g. Boys and Girls Clubs, recreation departments etc
• Safety – we want to use the regional festivals as a vehicle for sharing good safety practices among circus coaches.  We will ensure that regional festivals conform to AYCO Event Safety Guidelines
• Membership – we want to use these events to drive membership and participation in AYCO
• Balance of inspiration and participation – we want to allow experienced and highly skilled youth to shine and inspire, while beginners and those unfamiliar with circus are welcomed into our world

Minimum host requirements:

• Be an AYCO organizational member
• Nominate a person in charge of safety who can liaise with the AYCO Safety Committee Chair to ensure event safety
• Obtain insurance.  Often this is covered by the host organization’s policy, but AYCO may be approached for assistance.
• Provide space and equipment necessary for the festival, accommodating at least 100
• Work with AYCO staff and Events Supervision Committee to help make the event a success

Beneficial additional amenities for host to provide:

• Aerial facility
• Additional break-out spaces
• Separate space for meals
  

AYCO will provide:
•    Safety guidance
•    Registration service
•    Oversight and advice from the AYCO Event Supervision Committee (the role of the committee is to set AYCO policy for regional events and select locations and hosts for each event)
•    Guidance on workshop structuring (AYCO may have some specific requirements, for example if we raise sponsorship money, we may need to pursue a specific agenda at each festival)
•    Marketing and informational materials (depending on our funding)
•    Marketing and outreach  assistance (depending on our funding)
•    Financial underwriting for selected festivals (depending on our funding)
•    Templates for waivers, registration forms etc
•    Information on potential collaborators in the region
•    A web page for festival publicity
•    Assistance in obtaining insurance if necessary

For more information or to apply to host a regional festival, contact zoe@americanyouthcircus.org