The right music draws the whole town to the square - families in the afternoon, a full dance floor in the tent at night. Post your event with date, genres and budget, and let verified musicians come to you with their bids.
Post your event with the details musicians need to evaluate the opportunity.
A byfest (Danish town festival) has to reach everyone. The crowd runs from prams to grandparents, and the programme has to hold from afternoon coffee to the last song in the tent. A band with a repertoire everyone can sing along to is the difference between a square that fills and one that drifts away.
Dionysia gathers the search in one place. Post each set as its own event with date, genres and budget, see verified musicians with real EPKs, and compare bids side by side - so the committee can decide in one meeting instead of ringing around all spring.
A town festival is really several events in one - a daytime programme for families and an evening party for the whole town. The four points below are the ones a music committee usually has to settle first.
A town festival usually runs from a family-friendly afternoon programme into a party at night. The morning is open arrival with balloon animals, games and light music, a midday show pulls the crowd together, and the evening belongs to the dance floor in the tent.
Daytime stage acts typically run 10-45 minutes, while the evening headliner plays a longer set. Build the programme around that rhythm, with small acoustic acts filling the day and a party band or cover band taking the night, so each booking matches the audience actually standing in front of the stage.
Headcount and floor area decide how big a band you need. A small town festival can be carried by a duo or trio in the afternoon and a smaller party band at night, while a large square with thousands of guests calls for a full party band or orchestra and a stronger PA to fill the space. With a lot of families, several smaller acts spread around the grounds often work better than one big stage everyone has to gather at midday.
Most professional bands bring their own sound and lights and only need you to provide space and power, often via a generator, plus a sound engineer for the larger setups. The band sends a technical rider you need to be able to match.
Cover matters outdoors. A covered stage or a stage tent protects both the musicians and the gear from rain, and the party tent doubles as a gathering point and shelter. Plan cover and any heating from the start rather than as an afterthought once the clouds gather.
Town festivals cluster in the summer months from May to September, so they compete for the same Saturdays and the same bands. In peak season, booking sites recommend 6-12 months ahead, and the most sought-after bands are often booked a year out, while 2-4 months can be enough off-season. Most town festivals are run by volunteer committees with a dedicated music group, and the budget usually comes from sponsors, any entry or bar takings, and municipal culture funds.
Dionysia is newly launched, so we do not yet have enough completed bookings to publish a reliable marketplace average.
Read the full price guideWhat shapes an artist's quote
Artists set their own fees. You see the actual amount in a bid before you make an agreement.
The basic rule is to match the act to the slot: acoustic acts for the daytime family programme, a party band or cover band for the evening.
The core choice for the evening headline show. A broad hit repertoire across the decades reaches every age and keeps the dance floor full.
Familiar songs give a shared sing-along, and tribute versions - a U2 or ABBA homage, say - work as a draw at night.
Good for the afternoon and smaller festivals, where it sets a mood without filling the whole square with sound.
Flexible and inexpensive for an afternoon slot or warm-up, with modest space and power needs, but not enough to carry a full evening party alone.
An ambience act for lunch and afternoon, or as street music around the grounds, rather than the evening dance floor.
Add the date, the genres you want and a budget range. Creating the event is free.
Browse verified profiles and review any relevant bids your event receives.
Confirm the act, agree terms directly, and keep everything in one place.
Corporate partyJulefrokostFestivalBar & restaurantReceptionSummer party