Festival Director

Breakaway•Nashville, TN

About The Position

Breakaway Group is a premiere entertainment and music festival multimedia company. We have the largest independent touring music festival in North America, spanning 13 cities over 9 months in 2026. With a focus on underserved markets, Breakaway is bringing a premium two-day EDM festival experience, featuring an ever-changing lineup of top artists, to where consumers live, work, and play. THE ROLE Breakaway is seeking an experienced, a highly driven Festival Director to lead the end-to-end planning, production, and execution of our national festival portfolio. This role is the heart of our live events — responsible for delivering world-class festivals that balance operational excellence, financial discipline, safety, and an unforgettable guest experience. This position is based in Charlotte, NC, or Nashville, TN. Reporting to the President, this role serves as the senior operational and production leader across all Breakaway festivals. The Festival Director will partner closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams, including production, marketing, sponsorship, ticketing, safety, and media, to ensure each event is planned thoroughly and executed flawlessly. This role owns the festival lifecycle from early planning and budgeting through on-site leadership and post-event reconciliation. On-site, this individual acts as the primary decision-maker and leader, overseeing teams, vendors, venues, and partners while ensuring preparedness for all operational and emergency scenarios. The ideal candidate brings deep large-scale festival experience, exceptional leadership skills, strong financial acumen, and the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure live event environments.

Requirements

5-8 years of experience producing and/or directing large-scale live events or festivals
Proven track record leading multi-day, multi-market festivals
Strong budgeting, financial forecasting, and vendor management experience
Deep knowledge of site operations, permitting, safety planning, and emergency response
Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills
Ability to manage complex projects, multiple stakeholders, and competing priorities
Comfortable having tough conversations and making decisions under pressure
Ability to travel extensively and work non-traditional hours during event periods

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Google Workspace and similar tools is a plus

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior operational and production owner for assigned Breakaway festivals, accountable for end-to-end execution, quality, safety, and financial performance.
Own festival site strategy from concept through CAD development and final execution, including infrastructure planning, layouts, crowd flow, and load-in/load-out strategy.
Drive on-site cross-functional execution and issue resolution with senior leadership across all functional teams and external partners to ensure smooth show flow and brand consistency.
Partner with venue leadership and local stakeholders to navigate site constraints, permitting requirements, and operational opportunities across markets.
Establish and oversee all permitting, inspections, and regulatory compliance, maintaining the highest standards of safety, accessibility, and risk management.
Serve as a core member of the on-site festival operations leadership team, executing Emergency Action Plans (EAP) and coordinating in real time with security, police, fire, and medical partners to ensure rapid response and guest safety.
Collaborate closely with Finance and executive leadership to manage operational budget tracking, forecasting, risk visibility, and post-event reconciliation.
Drive operational efficiency and cost optimization while maintaining guest experience and production quality.
Own the end-to-end guest experience from arrival through exit, ensuring clear guest communications, seamless VIP programs, food & beverage execution, retail operations, and premium experiences.
Lead and empower on-site operations and production teams through clear expectations, active coaching, and strong accountability.
Lead on-site stakeholder meetings and real-time decision-making during event execution.
Drive continuous improvement through post-event reporting, performance metrics, and operational innovation across the festival portfolio.
Serve as the central on-site communication lead for operations and production teams, ensuring consistent messaging, coordination, and execution across all event staff.
Oversee and collaborate with Festival Operations and on-site teams to ensure load-in and load-out timelines are met, resources are coordinated effectively, and operational standards are maintained.