Wunderbar

What Wunderbar does

Wunderbar (legal name: Wunderbar Festival CIC, company no. 06735572) is a UK Community Interest Company founded in 2009 in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is a participatory arts organization that produces events, festivals, installations, and community-based creative projects intended to make contemporary art accessible to non-traditional audiences. Core activities include commissioning and producing works with named artists (notably Bobby Baker and Joshua Sofaer), running workshops and discussion events on themes such as war commemoration (Great & Tiny War, MLK1967), health and intimacy (Sex with Cancer), and everyday domestic life, and engaging regional communities across North East England with occasional national touring.

The organization operates a hybrid revenue model with four streams: (1) ticket and event income, frequently via a 'pay-what-you-decide' model to maximize accessibility (typical fees £4 per event or £12 for a four-event pass, with wilderness events suggested at £45-60 per head based on a £5,000-6,000 project cost spread across 90 attendees); (2) Edicure consumer product sales (biodegradable edible nail products at £7.99 per set, sold via the independent edicure.co.uk e-commerce storefront); (3) restricted grants from Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Wellcome Foundation, and the Newcastle Culture Investment Fund for specific projects; and (4) donations processed through Stripe and PayPal. A parallel fundraising arm, the Wunderbar Foundation, was initiated in 2015 to reduce grant dependency. The Wunderbiz sub-brand (since 2014) houses alternative-model commercial experiments including Edicure and a Sauna Nation venture.

Wunderbar is governed by a four-person board (Gillie Kleiman, Ilana Mitchell, Karl Taylor, Kate Parkin) and operates with a small core team of approximately 6 staff plus freelance collaborators. Distribution channels include direct ticketed events at venues across Newcastle and Gateshead, third-party ticketing platforms (Eventbrite, Brown Paper Tickets), global digital content via Vimeo, and organic social. Customer concentration is highly diversified across the general public, with named institutional partners concentrated in publicly funded arts, heritage, and higher education. The organization holds no patents and has no proprietary technology platform beyond standard web and ticketing tooling.

Name

Wunderbar

Legal name

Wunderbar Festival CIC

Website

https://wunderbar.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wunderbar Festival CIC is a Newcastle-based participatory arts Community Interest Company, founded in 2009, that produces accessible community art projects, festivals, and discussion events on themes including war commemoration, health, and domestic life, supported by Arts Council grants, ticket income, donations, and consumer product sales under the Wunderbiz/Edicure sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales and event revenue: Revenue from selling tickets to performances, workshops, and events. Some events use 'pay what you decide' model to maximize accessibility while generating income.
2. Edicure product sales: Sale of edible nail products - biodegradable, vegan, non-toxic nail decorations sold at £7.99 per set
3. Public funding and grants: Receives funding from Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, and other public bodies for specific projects
4. Donations: Accepts donations through payment services Stripe and PayPal

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wunderbar is a participatory arts Community Interest Company that creates and produces live art projects, festivals, and workshops — primarily designed for general public and community audiences in North East England. It co-produces sustained projects with individual artists (e.g., Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War, Joshua Sofaer's Opera Helps), runs themed programmes (Freedom City 2017, Sex with Cancer, Wunderbairns youth work), and also sells branded Edicure edible nail products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wunderbiz: A playfully disruptive and alternative approach to business models and structures, including ventures like Sauna Nation and Edicure.
• Edicure
• Wunderbar Festival
• Wunderbairns
• Platypus

Products and services

• Edicure Edible Nail Products Biodegradable, vegan, non-toxic, hand-crafted edible nail decorations sold as a standalone consumer product marketed as a playful, non-permanent alternative to traditional nail art. Targeted at individual consumers seeking novelty/party products, sold via the edicure.co.uk online store.
• Participatory Art Projects and Festivals Programme of participatory art projects, festivals, performances, installations, and workshops created by Wunderbar in collaboration with artists such as Bobby Baker, Joshua Sofaer, Jeremy Deller, and Reverend Billy. Targeted at general public and community audiences, with thematic focus on war, mental health, domestic labour, cancer, and social issues.
• Bobby Baker's Great & Tiny War (installation) Participatory installation by Bobby Baker exploring the everyday impact of conflict on domestic life, commissioned as part of the WW1 centenary programme; targeted at general public audiences and toured to community venues.
• Opera Helps Original Joshua Sofaer project presented by Wunderbar as participatory opera experiences and online adaptations; featured in the Horizon Showcase pilot year in 2021.
• Sex with Cancer programme Programme of workshops and discussions exploring intimacy and sexual health for people living with and beyond cancer, delivered in partnership with cancer support and arts venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,700 visitors to Great & Tiny War installation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• 14-18 NOWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2018Commissioning partner for Great & Tiny War as part of WW1 Centenary Art Commissions. 14-18 NOW is the UK arts programme for the First World War centenary, supported by National Lottery through Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England.
• Freedom City 2017majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2017Year-long city-wide programme commemorating 50th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr receiving honorary degree from Newcastle University. Partnership between Newcastle University, Northern Roots, and NewcastleGateshead Initiative, funded by Arts Council England Ambition for Excellence award.
• Daily Life LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Great & Tiny War with Bobby Baker as artist and Artistic Director. Ongoing collaboration exploring ways of developing the work beyond initial installation.
• Jeremy DellercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist who conceived the MLK1967 idea, working with Wunderbar on this commemorative project.
• Newcastle UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Freedom City 2017 programme. Hosted the original MLK Jr visit in 1967 and commemorated the 50th anniversary.
• Northern RootsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Freedom City 2017 alongside Newcastle University and NewcastleGateshead Initiative.
• NewcastleGateshead InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Freedom City 2017 alongside Newcastle University and Northern Roots.
• Battersea Arts CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sex with Cancer project, hosting events with local experts in sex, sexual health and cancer care.
• Contact in Greater ManchestermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sex with Cancer project, hosting events with local experts.
• Attenborough Centre for the Creative ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sex with Cancer project, hosting events with local experts.
• Joshua SofaercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist who created Opera Helps concept, presented originally with Folkoperan in Stockholm in 2012. Ongoing collaboration with Wunderbar for UK tours and online adaptations.
• NewBridge ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for Wunderbar's office and various projects. Ilana Mitchell serves as Chair of Trustees.
• Bobby BakercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey artist collaborator on Great & Tiny War and ongoing projects. Artist and Artistic Director of Daily Life Ltd.
• Sh! Women's Erotic EmporiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon-based sex shop partner for Sex with Cancer project, supplying recommended products.
• Live Art Development AgencymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for DIY national scheme supporting professional development projects led by artists for artists.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Live Theatre (Newcastle): Newcastle-based producing theatre specializing in new writing and community-engaged work. Operates in Wunderbar's same North East England catchment with a comparable participatory/community programming mandate.
• The NewBridge Project: Newcastle artist-run space and host of Wunderbar's office (Ilana Mitchell is Chair of Trustees). Operates in the same city with a complementary mission of supporting emerging and participatory practice.
• Northern Stage (Newcastle): Newcastle's principal producing theatre with a community and participation programme. Regional peer operating in the same catchment with overlapping educational and participatory strands.

Direct peers

• Buzzcut Festival: Glasgow-based festival of experimental performance and live art. Co-directed by Wunderbar board member Karl Taylor, indicating close artistic kinship, shared artist pool, and overlapping festival-format model.
• Artsadmin: London-based producing charity supporting experimental and participatory performance artists. Comparable in producing role for artists like Bobby Baker and Joshua Sofaer, with similar grant-funded CIC structure and pay-what-you-decide ethos.
• Create London: East London participatory arts charity producing socially engaged projects with underserved communities. Closely aligned mission of using art to address difficult social themes via co-creation and accessibility.
• Live Art Development Agency: London-based organization supporting live art practice and professional development. Direct Wunderbar partner on the DIY national scheme, with overlapping curatorial interests and shared artist network.
• Take Me Somewhere Festival: Glasgow festival of experimental performance where Wunderbar board member Karl Taylor is Associate Producer. Comparable scope (festival of live/participatory art) and shared artist development ambitions.
• Battersea Arts Centre: South London participatory arts venue and producer with a similar community-engaged, artist-development model. Directly partnered with Wunderbar on the Sex with Cancer project, indicating overlapping artistic philosophy and target audiences.

Emerging players

• Albany (Deptford): South East London community arts centre combining performance, participation and creative learning. Comparable scale and operating model to Wunderbar as a multi-purpose participatory arts venue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wearewunderbar
• YouTubevimeo.com/wunderbar
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearewunderbar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wunderbar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Wunderbar