LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre)

What LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) does

LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1981 in London as a biennial international theatre festival. The organisation's core function is curating and presenting bold, boundary-pushing international theatre productions to London audiences across multiple partner venues, with LIFT 2024 delivering 42 performances across 8 shows in 7 venues to over 10,000 audience members. Core products include the biennial LIFT Festival, the Concept Touring commissioning programme (launched 2021 to enable international collaboration with minimal travel), LIFT the City neighbourhood-based programming, and a digital Watch Online service. The underlying technology stack is a third-party-designed ticketing website integrated with venue box-office systems, built with accessibility-first features (ARIA landmarks, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility) by Cog design agency.

LIFT serves two primary customer segments: London theatre audiences seeking international work, and international artists — particularly those from the Global South — seeking a London platform and co-production support. Secondary segments include emerging artists and young professionals (via placements and the Tottenham UpLIFTers programme), underserved communities (via the £5 accessible ticket scheme and Disability Confident status), and venue partners such as Royal Court Theatre, Sadler's Wells, Southbank Centre, and The Young Vic.

Revenue is generated through six streams: ticket sales (transaction-based), statutory funding (~one third of income from Arts Council England and Creative Europe), trusts and foundations grants, individual donations, a subscription membership programme (£3.33/month), and cultural partnerships/co-production income from venues. The go-to-market is event-driven (biennial festival), community-led (membership and donor engagement), and direct-to-consumer (website ticket sales and venue box-office distribution). In 2024, LIFT transitioned governance with Battersea Arts Centre taking on leadership of the festival following the August 2024 departure of long-serving Artistic Director/CEO Kris Nelson.

Name

LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre)

Legal name

London International Festival of Theatre Ltd

Website

https://liftfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LIFT is a London-based charity founded in 1981 that operates a biennial international theatre festival, presenting work from global artists across partner venues to over 10,000 audience members per cycle, supplemented by Concept Touring commissions and a £3.33/month membership programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to festival performances across multiple London venues. Ticket prices vary by production with a £5 accessible ticket scheme for people experiencing barriers.
2. Statutory Funding: Approximately one third of income from statutory bodies including Arts Council England and Creative Europe.
3. Membership Programme: Monthly membership starting from £3.33 per month offering exclusive insights, priority booking and website recognition.
4. Donations: Individual donations accepted through the website, with suggested amounts of £20, £50, £100.
5. Cultural Partnerships: Partnerships with venues, co-producing and co-presenting relationships generate income through shared production costs and ticket revenue splits.
6. Trusts and Foundations: Grants from trusts and foundations as part of funding portfolio alongside individual and corporate donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LIFT is London's biennial international festival of theatre, presenting bold, boundary-pushing performances from international artists across multiple London venues. The organisation also runs Concept Touring, a commissioning programme enabling sustainable international collaboration with minimal travel, along with year-round learning events, neighbourhood programming (LIFT the City), digital streaming (Watch Online), and a supporter membership programme.

Product overview

LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) is a biennial international theatre festival that serves as a platform for presenting bold, boundary-pushing performances from international artists to London audiences. The core offering is the biennial LIFT Festival, which has operated since 1981. The organization also runs Concept Touring, a commissioning programme for sustainable international collaboration with minimal travel. Productions include major performances like Bat Night Market (immersive speculative design experience), ECHO: Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen (concept touring climate innovation), and The Second Woman (24-hour performance). Additional offerings include digital content via Watch Online, membership programmes, and Learning Events including workshops and professional development. LIFT the City extends programming across London boroughs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LIFT Festival LIFT is London's biennial international festival of theatre, presenting bold and boundary-pushing performances from international artists across multiple London venues. LIFT 2024 comprised 42 performances across 8 shows in 7 venues and welcomed over 10,000 audience members.
• Concept Touring A commissioning programme for artists to develop international touring projects with little or no human travel, exploring sustainable forms of international collaboration for the climate crisis era. Includes mentorship for selected projects.
• LIFT Membership A supporter membership programme starting from £3.33 per month offering exclusive insights, priority booking and recognition on the LIFT website.
• Watch Online / Digital Content Digital programming including online viewing options, video content and streaming of festival productions for remote audiences unable to attend in person.
• Learning Events Workshops, projects, continued professional development events and staged performances offered by LIFT's learning team to develop emerging creatives and young London-based talent.
• LIFT the City Neighbourhood-based programming bringing performances and engagement activities to boroughs across London, including events at venues like Brixton House and City of London locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ audience members across 8 venues in 2024 festival
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Battersea Arts Centre (BAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBattersea Arts Centre has taken on leadership of LIFT festival, representing a major new chapter for the organisation.
• Science Gallery LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of King's College London. Hosted world premiere of Bat Night Market, providing venue and research collaboration.
• Royal Court TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced ECHO with LIFT. Hosted final performance of ECHO, LIFT 2024's closing production.
• Sadler's WellscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented Bacchae: Prelude to a Purge with LIFT for UK premiere.
• Southbank CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented L'Homme rare with LIFT for UK premiere. One of flagship London venues in programme.
• The Young ViccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced The Second Woman with Ruth Wilson. Previous co-production partner.
• Clean BreakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women with Brazilian directors Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte.
• Taipei Performing Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-commissioned Bat Night Market with LIFT. Project then toured to Taipei.
• Guildhall School of Music and DramaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner15 early-career composers and sound designers from BMus Film Music course designed soundscapes for Bat Night Market world premiere.
• CPH STAGEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish festival collaborating on research project investigating sustainable touring practices with LIFT and other organisations.
• The AlbanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presented Sun & Sea with LIFT for UK premiere in 2022.
• Julie’s BicycleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental sustainability organisation supporting LIFT and CPH STAGE research on sustainable touring practices.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Edinburgh International Festival: Scotland's flagship international performing arts festival operating annually in Edinburgh. Closely comparable to LIFT in mission, scale, and international artist curation, though with a broader performing arts scope including opera, music, and dance alongside theatre.
• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest performing arts festival, operating annually in Edinburgh with thousands of international theatre productions. Comparable to LIFT in international theatre focus and London/UK touring talent pool, though significantly larger in scale.
• Manchester International Festival: Biennial international arts festival founded in 2007. Closely comparable to LIFT as a UK-based international arts festival producing world-premiere commissions, with similar biennial cadence and co-production model with local venues.
• Holland Festival: The Netherlands' leading international performing arts festival, operating annually in Amsterdam. Comparable to LIFT in presenting international contemporary theatre, opera, dance, and music with co-production models.
• Dublin Fringe Festival: Ireland's leading multi-disciplinary arts festival featuring international and Irish contemporary theatre. Comparable to LIFT in festival model, scale, and was led by Kris Nelson (LIFT's former Artistic Director/CEO) from 2013-2017.
• Avignon Festival: France's premier annual international theatre festival, founded in 1947. Comparable to LIFT as a destination international theatre festival, though significantly larger in scale, duration, and international profile.

Broad incumbents

• Battersea Arts Centre: London arts venue now taking on leadership of LIFT Festival. Comparable as a London-based producing venue for international and contemporary theatre, with year-round programming and resident company support.
• Royal Court Theatre: London's leading new writing theatre and a LIFT co-production partner. Comparable in championing bold international and contemporary work, though operating as a year-round producing theatre rather than festival model.
• Sadler's Wells: London's leading dance venue and a long-standing LIFT co-presentation partner. Comparable in curating international contemporary performance, with a broader year-round dance focus rather than festival-specific theatre programming.

Emerging players

• Under the Radar Festival: New York-based annual international theatre festival presenting experimental and boundary-pushing international work. Comparable to LIFT in curatorial focus on adventurous international theatre, though operating at smaller scale and annually.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lift-london-international-festival-of-theatre-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre)