Exploring the Environmental Impact of Rural Touring

For many people, tours offer the only means to experience the arts in their local area. However it can be a key contributor to an artist’s emissions, or to that of a venue. At Julie’s Bicycle we have worked with several organisations and artforms on touring – from national, to international, urban and rural – to explore the impacts and evaluate alternative models. By sharing our learning from these projects and collaborating across the sector we hope to develop models that embrace sustainable practices.

Rural Touring supports artists and performers to bring their work to rural communities. Take Art, an arts organisation and rural touring scheme based in Somerset, commissioned Julie’s Bicycle to assess the emissions from audience travel and energy use of a rural tour in comparison to a typical show that might take place in a larger venue in a more urban setting. The study was funded by the National Rural Touring Forum. 

 “This tour is another great example that illustrates climate action taking place across the music sector. The report highlights the need for further research on the methods and benefits of rural touring, as well as more funding for public transport in rural areas and support for renewable energy investments.”

– Richard Phillips, Music and Climate Change Specialist, Julie’s Bicycle. 

The research looked at emissions from a four-date rural tour by musician Blair Dunlop in February 2024. Take Art gathered data using audience surveys and energy meter readings from the rural venues to inform a carbon footprint calculated by Julie’s Bicycle. The figures were then compared to carbon data from a hypothetical one-off show for the same number of total attendees in a town centre venue.

Footsteps or Fuel: Rural Audience Travel

The analysis found that emissions from audience travel were 20% lower for this Take Art rural tour than the hypothetical one-off show in a larger town. 

The figures show that bringing art to the doorsteps of rural communities can help to reduce emissions. Overall, the distance travelled by event-goers to the Take Art shows was 25% less than for the representative example from a more urbanised setting. This is iterative of the nature of rural shows bringing live arts events closer to the doorstep of local audiences. 

A key challenge for performances in rural locations, however, is the provision of public transport options and accessibility via active transport modes, such as walking. Car travel accounted for 90% of the total distances travelled to rural shows and 95% of the emissions. Due to the greater availability of alternative travel methods in a town or city location, more audience members are able to travel by lower impact public transport, such as trams and local buses.

There are other multiple factors influencing audience travel emissions between rural and urban settings. Safe and viable walking and cycling routes, and the availability of bike storage also affect audience travel choices alongside the availability of public transport. The size of the artist and the distances audiences are willing to travel to see them on tour is another consideration. 

Small Scale, Big Impact: Village Halls and Renewable Energy

The energy use emissions for the venues of the Take Art rural tour were 90% lower than the emissions for the hypothetical one-off show in a larger town. 

This difference in energy emissions in this study reflects the excellent work the rural venues selected have made in using more sustainable energy sources. Holford and District Village Hall sources its energy from an air source heat pump, while Charlton Horethorne Village Hall has installed solar panels. Electric- powered heating systems have also helped to reduce emissions.

The difference in emissions is also in part a result of the size of the venues. A larger, central venue requires additional energy for ventilation, heating and cooling, as well as lighting. It may also be true that rural venues are open for a shorter period of time for each show, which would help to minimise energy usage. This is a natural asset to a smaller venue for reducing emissions.

However, venues of all sizes should take inspiration from the local community venues to install on-site renewable energy to meet energy needs where possible.

Key learnings for tour organisers

The study illustrated the potential environmental benefits of working with small-scale, multi-purpose community spaces where art and performance is brought closer to the doorstep of audiences, so they do not have to travel long distances. 

• It highlighted the importance of policy advocacy for investment in public transport in rural areas, to reduce the need for individual travel by car, maximising the emissions savings that can be achieved through local shows
• Organisers of rural tours can support and encourage car sharing among show attendees alongside public transport advocacy to help reduce emissions.
• Information sharing on cycle and walking routes, and secure cycling storage can also support reduced emissions from local shows in a rural tour
• Urban tours could be extended to include more performances in more villages where the demand is present, taking cultural events to even more communities.
• A further deeper study is needed to fully explore the potential environmental merits of rural touring.