Thames Festival
An innovative digital hub to engage audiences with this culturally significant organisation’s mission and festival activities
The River Thames has long been London's lifeblood, winding through 43 miles of history and culture. Each year, the Thames Festival celebrates this iconic waterway through a diverse program of events, while also nurturing year-round educational initiatives that connect younger generations with the river's rich heritage. When Thames Festival Trust joined the Grandad family in 2020, we saw an opportunity to create something special - a digital platform that would capture the river's cultural significance while serving as a dynamic hub for festival activities.
Our journey began with a deep dive into understanding the festival's diverse audience. We identified five key groups who would interact with the website: event attendees seeking performance schedules, educational organizers planning activities, history enthusiasts exploring the river's past, supporters and advocates of the festival's mission, and creative professionals looking to engage with the program. This insight proved invaluable in crafting user journeys that would serve everyone's needs while advancing the festival's goals.
One of our most innovative solutions was creating a website that seamlessly transitions between festival season and the quieter months of the year. Rather than letting the website lie dormant outside of festival times, we designed it to remain engaging and informative year-round, ensuring visitors could always connect with the festival's mission and achievements.
We completely reimagined the website's architecture, creating intuitive pathways that guide users naturally to their destinations. By simplifying navigation and crafting clear, actionable copy, we reduced the number of steps needed to access information. This wasn't just about making things easier - it was about creating an experience that would encourage engagement with the festival's full range of offerings.
The results spoke volumes. The redesigned website saw a remarkable 90% increase in organic search traffic year over year, along with significant improvements in user engagement and brand awareness. But we're not stopping there. We're currently developing new functionality to support the festival's funding initiatives through improved data capture, and we're implementing automation to streamline event management for the content team.
Our work with Thames Festival Trust exemplifies how thoughtful digital design can strengthen the connection between a cultural institution and its community. By making the festival's digital presence as dynamic and flowing as the river it celebrates, we've helped create a platform that educates, engages, and inspires - just like the Thames itself.
Explore the magic: https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/
