ANDY JONES

FOCUS Wales is one of the UK's most vital international showcase festivals, welcoming over 25,000 attendees and more than 250 artists across 20 stages in Wrexham each May. Andy Jones co-founded the festival and brings over 20 years in the industry as an artist, label MD, manager, and promoter.

He leads FOCUS Wales's international export programme, which has placed Welsh artists on stages at SXSW, Eurosonic, M for Montreal, Reeperbahn, and Zandari Festa. At Going Global 2026, Jones will lead two sessions: one on the current UK festivals and international showcasing landscape, and one on the role of language revitalisation in music identity and cultural export, a conversation with particular resonance here in Aotearoa.

Andy Jones travels to Aotearoa New Zealand, courtesy of the British Council Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.