SFTOC is ever-growing, and at 20 years old, we’re still learning new tricks. New ideas, conversations and collaborations make it possible for us to learn and grow our sustainability strategies — so we can keep delivering the best festival we can, without the cost falling to our neighbours or planet.

Here are a few of the things we do to make Sounds as sustainable as possible:

Embracing the Old

You might notice some decorations around the festival that you’ve seen before, or signs in our older styles. This is part of our pledge to reuse as much decor & signage as possible, to prevent the creation of single-use items and to prevent waste where we can.

We’re embracing our changes throughout the years; using our festival as a place to show off our growing collection from festivals-gone-by. An old shop sign from 2018’s Soundstown? Sure. Legs from 2022 still running about the place? Why not.

This year, we’re happy to have the wonderful Freya Wysocki bringing the festival to life with art direction honouring our birthday spirits in their signature camp, queer, energetic style. Freya’s work is prioritising recycled and recyclable materials – even the balloons are made out of cardboard!

Keep It Local

Speaking of Freya, let’s chat about the other people we work with. We have always committed to using suppliers as close to home as possible, reducing the need for lengthy delivery journeys and unnecessary packaging where we can. It also means we can put money back into the community and shout about our neighbours, always championing local independent businesses above all else. What good would Sounds be without the thriving community around it?

Huge shoutouts to Salford legends Seven Bro7hers Brewery, Walk The Plank, Belle Print, Soundhaus, Hollowsphere, S&S Marquees, The Deli Lama, and many more.

Ridin’ Clean

We just talked about keeping delivery journeys down, but how about keeping them green, man? Last year, we got an e-bike via the TFGM Active Travel Community Access Grant scheme. This means we can pick up deliveries and ferry bits between venues on the day, all without emitting pollutants along the streets where we’ll be congregating (although anyone sat behind Mark on the bike may disagree).

Finding Your Way

So that’s how we’re getting about… how are YOU getting about? As an inner-city festival with great transport links and accessways, we encourage our audience to use active or public means of travel wherever possible. Our venues are positioned along a road with multiple bus stops and hire bike/scooter hubs. Check out our getting here page for more information, alongside a map of all our venues + walking distances for this year.

Fancy the NIGHT BUS? As part of  a year-long TFGM initiative, the V1 and 36 (which both pass the festival hub on the University’s Peel Campus) will run at least 1 per hour in each direction, 24-7. It’s never been easier to get here and home via public transport. Read more about the initiative here.

*please note that both Salford Central and Salford Crescent are closed on 4th May 2025 – please check our getting here page for other ways to reach us!

Paperless Programmes

Once you’re here, you’ll notice we don’t have any programmes to give out. That’s because we host our programme online for you to access on your smartphone throughout the day, reducing the energy & waste that usually goes into their very limited lifecycle. If you do want to print yours out, we also provide a printer-friendly black & white version for you to print at home while using as little ink as poss.

Get Bevved (Responsibly)

Thirsty? All SFTOC bars serve the majority of their drinks in recyclable aluminium cans, a.k.a. The Humble Tinny. Cans are the most recycled bev container in the UK, and their recycling process uses far less energy than that of plastic or glass.

If you order a drink that can’t be contained in a can — round of shots anyone? — we’ll provide a compostable paper cup. And if you think you’ll brave another round, maybe pocket that cup and we can refill it for you.

Plus, keep an eye out for our water refill points across the festival, where you can fill up your own reusable bottle for free. If you can’t find one, ask the nearest member of bar staff.

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So there you have it, a little insight into the sustainability behind the scenes. As always, we really value your thoughts on how we do things… this is a festival for you, after all. Drop us a line on our socials or [email protected] with any suggestions of what we can do differently, so we can keep evolving.