ATA Carnet Case Study: Festival Power

Festival Power: Powering Europe’s live events with ATA Carnets

When live events light up across the UK and Europe, behind the scenes are teams like Festival Power, specialists in temporary power solutions that keep stages, traders, and fairgrounds running. From generators and fuel management to stage lighting and power distribution, Festival Power plays a vital role in ensuring major events run smoothly.

Launched in 2021, as the company continues to grow, they are now transporting specialist kit to festivals across Europe. To make this possible, they rely on ATA Carnets, the internationally recognised customs document that allow goods to move temporarily across borders without paying duties or taxes.

In this case study, James McDonough (Director) from Festival Power shares their experience using Business West’s ATA Carnet service to simplify their export process and keep the show on the road.

Can you tell me a bit about Festival Power and what your role is?

Festival Power supplies temporary electrical systems for festivals and events across the UK and Europe. This includes everything from generators and fuel management to power distribution and lighting for stages, traders, pop up restaurants, funfair rides, and all other aspects of events. I am the company director and head up projects and day to day running of the company.

Why do you use ATA Carnets?

 

We use ATA Carnets for the temporary export of our equipment to Europe for live events. This is usually a lorry's worth of kit exported for a couple weeks at a time. 

 

Why do you apply for them at Business West? How did you find out about our ATA Carnet service?

 

I chose Business West to apply for our Carnet as we are based in Bristol and I wanted to use someone local. Also, the website was really helpful with plenty of information available to help through the process.

 

Was the ATA Carnet application process what you expected?

 

When we completed our first Carnet I wasn’t sure what to expect, having not done it before, but the process was made really simple by following the information provided. I was also concerned about the turnaround time as we only had a short window between confirming exactly what kit was going to be taken and the lorry being loaded. This turned out to be fine though as the carnet was issued within 48 hours of our initial application and we collected it from your office to ensure we had it on time.

What is the easiest part of the ATA Carnet application?

 

The online application makes the process simple. Once you have signed up to the website and completed the template form with your information, it's a simple upload and then wait for feedback from the team.

What is the most challenging part of the ATA Carnet application?

 

The hardest part of the Carnet application was getting the information in the correct format and listing the items [that need to be listed on the Carnet] in the correct way on the template form. This took a few backs and forth between me and the Business West Carnet team.

What other plans do you have to export temporarily?

 

We have plans to increase our presence in Ireland in 2026 and hopefully further into Europe in the future, which will mean more Carnets for the temporary export of our equipment.

Do you have any advice for other companies looking to temporarily take their goods abroad?

 

Don’t let the idea of a Carnet put you off expanding your business into Europe. It's a relatively simple document to complete, providing you have all the necessary information about the items you are looking to move.

Is there anything else about your experiences you’d like to add? 

 

I’d like to thank the Carnet team at Business West for their patience and help with our first Carnet last year. I had lots of questions which I sent by email and phoned on a few occasions, and they were always helpful and answered straight away. I will definitely use them again for our future Carnets.

Festival Power’s experience highlights how straightforward the ATA Carnet process can be — with the right support. By working with Business West, they’ve been able to move complex technical equipment across Europe with confidence, avoiding customs delays and ensuring their teams can focus on what they do best: delivering power solutions for live events all over Europe.

As they look ahead to expanding their work in Ireland and beyond, ATA Carnets remain an essential part of their export toolkit, helping the business grow its international footprint.

 

Find out more about Festival Power.

Find out more about Business West ATA Carnets.