Build your festival timetable – free and with drag and drop

Flexible programme blocks

Use built-in categories or create your own block types with custom names and colours:

• Main stage acts – Schedule headliners and large-format shows with exact set lengths
• Side stages – Organize parallel stage programmes without losing the overview
• DJ sets and electronic acts – Structure dance floors, club stages and late-night slots
• Workshops and talks – Integrate content stages, panel discussions and fringe programming
• Changeover and soundcheck – Build turnaround time between acts directly into the timeline
• Food and breaks – Plan catering windows, crowd-flow breaks and operational pauses

Multi-stage planning

Running more than one stage? Sessionplan lets you plan parallel tracks side by side using Breakout Sessions. Each lane represents a stage, and you can assign acts and crew members per lane. Spot clashes instantly without spreadsheet gymnastics.

• Parallel stages – Manage multiple simultaneous stages in one view
• Clash detection – See which acts overlap and adjust them with drag and drop
• Genre grouping – Organize acts by music style and target audience

Automatic time calculation

Set your festival start time and Sessionplan calculates when every act begins and ends. The total duration updates as you add or move blocks, so you always know whether you are on schedule or running over. You can also lock an individual block to a fixed time, such as a headliner at 9 pm, and let the rest of the schedule adjust around it.

Running order and team communication

A clear running order is the backbone of any well-run festival. Artists know when their set starts, technicians see every changeover and visitors can plan their day. For minute-by-minute live productions such as television, awards or corporate events, use the run-of-show planner.

Export and sharing

• Share via link – Send the complete festival timetable as one shareable link
• Visitor version – Share the programme with your audience
• JSON export and import – Back up your plan locally or reuse it as a template

Step 1 – Anchor your headliners first

Start with acts that have fixed contractual set times or prime-time slots, typically 9 pm to midnight on the main stage. Lock these blocks to their exact start times using the lock icon in Sessionplan. Plan everything else around them.

Step 2 – Work backwards from the headliner

Fill in support acts, openers and warm-up DJs backwards from the headliner slot. A typical main-stage order is Doors, Opener (30–45 min), Support (60–75 min), Headliner (90–120 min). Add 15–30 minute changeover blocks between acts.

Step 3 – Plan parallel stages

Use Breakout Sessions to map side stages, club tents or content stages running simultaneously. Stagger genres and audience sizes to spread the crowd and avoid clashes between crowd favourites.

Step 4 – Add operational blocks

Do not forget soundchecks, crew briefings, catering windows, curfew buffers and closing announcements. These blocks are as important as the acts and easy to overlook in a spreadsheet.

Step 5 – Share and iterate

Share your draft with the production team via a Dynamic Link for real-time collaborative editing. Once finalized, send a Snapshot Link to artists and visitors. If anything changes on the day, update the plan and reshare it instead of chasing old PDFs.