For those who don’t know me, I am Dara and I have had the pleasure of working for the Festival for the past six­ months. After graduating in 2021 I found it difficult to secure full­time employment without relevant experience. The marketing internship provided by the Festival was the perfect opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience that would help to secure full­time permanent employment. The past six months have been a blast.

Not only have I had a behind the scenes look at how the Festival is run and promoted but have been able to meet and work with some remarkable people. Every day has been different, from handing out posters on the High Street to creating content for social media, I have been able to get a deep dive into many different aspects of marketing. Being given the freedom to work on a variety of tasks has allowed me to explore and further develop areas that I am passionate about.

Throughout the 2021 Festival I was blown away with how much work goes in to planning and organising each event. Everything ran so smoothly, and I was constantly supported by a member of the team when working on events. It often didn’t feel like work as I was able to watch so many amazing performers; the variety of events was something I’ve never experienced before.

The entire journey has given me the tools and knowledge I need when looking to the future. I’m confident my time at the Festival will play a key role when I move on to the next chapter in my career. Being from Northern Ireland and relatively new to Canterbury I have been made to feel right at home within the team. Everyone was so welcoming and it will be very difficult saying goodbye.

Dara