Gotobeat, a music promoter driven by technology, is to expand into the festival market next year after making a heavyweight appointment.

The London firm, founded by serial entrepreneur Max Busin to fill grassroots venues with promising artists, has appointed Mike Lightford, former director of music at Boardmasters and NASS Festivals, as head of festivals.

Gotobeat, which recently expanded into arena offerings, has also confirmed details of its first festival programme, taking place at Beckenham Place Park in July 2027. The six-show series will span two weekends, with more than 10 artists performing each day across two stages and capacity for 12,000 attendees per day.