Superstruct Entertainment Launches Artistic Code

Superstruct Entertainment, the British entertainment group that’s home to more than 80 festival and live event brands globally, has launched its Artistic Code.

Why it matters:

• Superstruct says festivals should be places where “artists can challenge, provoke and express different points of view,” and that the Code “protects that space for expression while giving artists and festival teams a shared approach from booking through to show day.”

The principles:

• The Code brings together four key principles that guide artist programming across Superstruct's portfolio of festivals and events, which includes Mighty Hoopla, Wacken Open Air, Lost Village, Defqon.1, and more.

• The principles are: protecting artistic freedom within the law; creating safe and welcoming spaces; ensuring programming and partnerships reflect Superstruct’s values; promoting inclusivity and fairness.

• In practice, says Superstruct, this means “no censorship of artists simply because their views are controversial, zero tolerance for discrimination or behavior that puts people at risk, and no alignment with campaigns of incitement or movements motivated by intolerance.”

• The company adds that it “does not operate banned lists and that performances should only be interrupted where there is a safety reason to do so.”

Recent festival controversies:

• Superstruct’s Artistic Code comes amid wider scrutiny of how festivals handle controversial or provocative artist performances.

• At Coachella and Glastonbury in 2025, Irish rap act Kneecap's pro-Palestinian statements sparked debate over political speech at festivals.

• At Glastonbury in 2025, punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a “Death, death to the IDF” chant, prompting legal investigations and the cancellation of some of the duo's performances.

What they said:

• Rebecca Kane Burton, Chief Operating Officer at Superstruct Entertainment: “Artistic freedom sits at the heart of our festivals. They are places for artists to express themselves, challenge ideas and bring different points of view to audiences. We believe strongly in backing that freedom. The Artistic Code makes our position clear and gives artists and our festival teams shared principles to work from, with creative independence at the heart of them. We’re making it public because we want to share what we’ve learned and contribute positively to the wider industry conversation.”