Parks and open spaces events
The highs and lows of organising a festival
On this page you can read the full-length interviews with
festival organisers which took place to accompany the
article on festivals in the Spring 2007 issue of Allerdale Outlook.
With thanks to interviewees for the time and effort they put into
their answers.
Click here to read
interview with Simon Kay, Chairman of Solfest
Click here to read
interview with Maryport Blues Festival committee
Click here to read
interview with Keswick Film Festival organisers, Ann Martin and Rod
Evans
Interview with Simon Kay, Chairman of Solfest
Solfest is a music festival which takes place in
Aspatria every summer, and also provides great food,
workshops and other entertainment. Solfest 2008 will take
place Friday 22 - Sunday 24 August. Tickets go on sale
from the Carnegie Arts Centre box office on Tuesday 1
April 2008. For more information visit www.solwayfestival.co.uk
What is your proudest Solfest moment?
On the Saturday night at Solfest this year [2006]
when we managed to persuade all 5000 people to dress up as either
Pirates or Faeries. Some people had clearly spent months working on
their costumes and everyone was out to have a great night. Not only
is it always fun to dress up, it also made the punters as much a
part of the entertainment as what was happening on the stages!
How did Solfest begin?
A daft, drunken idea.
Have you got any regrets?
There are always things which we can do better,
and there always will be. We try not to blame ourselves for not
getting things right first time, but recognise that if we ever go
back and repeat mistakes we have already made, then we are doing
something very wrong. We had never done anything like Solfest
before; it has been a huge learning curve, but adaptability and our
drive for perfection keeps moving us forwards.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to set up
their own festival?
Easy! “Always bite off more than you can chew!”
Make it as big as you can, invest into it yourself and let your
commitment motivate you. Also, spend a couple of years going to as
many and as varied festivals as you can picking up ideas as you go.
You’d be amazed at how many festival organisers never go to any
other events – if you don’t love festivals, then why bother
organising one?
I suppose that the big question has to be “why do you want to run a
festival?” If it’s for the money, forget it. If it’s because you
like a certain style of music, then why run a festival rather than
a season or gig? If it’s because you love the festival scene and
atmosphere then go for it! Great festivals have little to do with
music – that’s just a myth. They are really all about people,
escapism, freedom and adventure.
What's new for Solfest in 2007?
You’ll have to come along and find out! But be
warned, an awful lot of people trust us to put on a fantastic event
with plenty of surprises, so just make sure you buy your ticket
early or you may well end up disappointed!
What gives you the biggest Solfest related headache? (and how did
you cope with funding when you first started?)
We are all volunteers and all have full time day
jobs as well as running Solfest. Sometimes there just aren’t enough
hours in the day to fit everything in! As regards funding, we
started off by all buying tickets ourselves. This gave us enough
capital for our first batch of flyers and a few stamps to send off
funding bids. In the first year we got hold of the Carnegie
Theatre’s mailing list and spent every evening for several weeks
driving round West Cumbria delivering flyers and press releases by
hand because we couldn’t afford the stamps to post them out!
Luckily things are a bit easier now and we can pretty much
guarantee selling out well in advance.
Do you have any worries about Solfest continuing to grow?
We will only allow Solfest to grow at a rate
which we can safely manage. Because we are not in it for the money,
there is no pressure to increase in capacity for financial gain. In
fact, our market research suggests that the vast majority of
punters would rather pay a bit more for their tickets than see
Solfest get much bigger. Our priority is not about the size of the
event (although we are Cumbria’s biggest festival) it is much more
to do with quality and being the best. We believe that by investing
heavily in “added value” and attention to detail, people will
always want to come to Solfest. It’s just down to us how many
tickets we choose to sell!
How do local people react to Solfest, and how do you think the
festival benefits the community?
Solfest has always received an amazing amount of
support from all levels in the local community. In fact, I think
it’s fair to say that without the amount of support which we
receive, we probably wouldn’t be able to run Solfest at all. The
fact that people are prepared to freely donate their time and
equipment because they recognise what a great thing Solfest is for
the area in terms of promoting what we have here as well as local
businesses. I hate it when local people criticise West Cumbria and
make out that there is no future in the area because of the decline
of heavy industry. The area’s biggest assets are the friendly
people and wonderful scenery. Solfest is just a great way of West
Cumbria saying “come round to a party at our place and let’s show
you what we’ve got. Not only that, it’ll be the best party you ever
go to!” The fact that people travel hundreds and sometimes
thousands of miles and that we have what is widely considered to be
the most beautiful site on the national festival circuit is
something everyone in Cumbria should be extremely proud of.
Were there any unexpected pitfalls in organising Solfest for
the first time? And do you think you have overcome them?
There are no problems, only challenges – bring
them on!
How do you feel about the commercialisation of festivals (such
as V, where you aren't allowed to take any drinks in with you, and
there are adverts everywhere)? Do you think this could happen to
Solfest, and if not, why not?
I think that there is a small place for
sponsorship in festivals, but only a small one. Events like V,
Carling & T in the Park aren’t really festivals in the
traditional sense, they are just open air gigs. If your only reason
for running a festival is to make money and try and flog a load of
your own lager, then you are hardly likely to care passionately
about running a good festival. Your target audience is likely to be
very narrow and therefore you are not likely to invest in any
facilities for people outside that demograph. The fact that at
these events punters are herded around like cattle, with little
concern given to their individual welfare or enjoyment suggests
that the organisers are losing sight of the thing that makes
festivals so special – the people.
At Solfest, we are constantly trying to broaden our appeal and we
believe that providing a range of goods and services to meet the
needs of families, young children, the elderly and any other groups
we can think of! We want to be the best festival in the country and
we will never be able to achieve this if we start putting the
demands of a sponsor before the needs of our punters.
Do you have a favourite Solfest anecdote?
Yes, but I’m afraid that it is
un-publishable!
Interview with Maryport Blues Festival committee
Maryport Bitter & Blues Festival takes place
in Maryport every summer, with big names in the marquee and
bands playing at pubs all around the town. The 10th
Maryport Bitter & Blues Festival will take place Friday 25
- Sunday 27 July 2007. For more information visit www.maryportblues.com
“We are passionate about Maryport. The festival
is all about creating something excellent, year after year,
in Maryport”
What is your proudest Maryport Blues Festival moment?
All: We are all really proud to be involved in the biggest
annual event in Maryport and the biggest music festival in West
Cumbria attracting 18,000 visitors over the weekend. It brings
enormous economic benefits to the town, an estimated £1m to local
business, but we are most proud of the fact that it is supported so
whole heartedly by the people of Maryport; including the
council, shopkeepers, tourist attractions, clubs, pubs, schools,
churches. The festival seems to affect so many people in Maryport.
Even the golf club tell us they have a booming weekend with
visitors mixing a golf and blues weekend.
Feedback taken from locals, both verbally and in the festival
surveys indicate that they feel an enormous amount of ‘civic pride’
during the event and express a ‘sense of ownership’ for the success
of the weekend. Locals make up a big portion of the audience and
over 100 Maryport residents are volunteers for the event.
Debra: We were in town one night and someone was talking about Tony
Joe White and I said you will have to come and see him at the
festival. He replied that someone as big as Tony Joe White would
never come to Maryport. I was so proud that we have this
calibre of artists. In 2003, we had a steward crying because he was
proud that someone as big as Dionne Warwick was performing in
Maryport.
How did Maryport Blues Festival begin?
The festival was established in Maryport in 1999 with funding
from EU regeneration grants and organised by Maryport Developments
Ltd, (MDL) a “regeneration company” and Allerdale Borough Council.
From the outset, the festival was supported by volunteers and over
the years their role increased so that by 2005, the festival was
totally planned and organised by Maryport Festivals Ltd, a
volunteer run, not-for-profit company, without any involvement from
local government or any other organization.
Have you got any regrets?
Dave: Taking more risks in terms of spending more on main stage
artists over the last couple of years.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to set up
their own festival?
Debra: Be prepared to put in three times as much work as you
think you need. You need total support from your family and the
rest of the team.
Dave: You need lots of passion and stamina to keep going. You need
to be prepared for lots of set-backs and for the unexpected to
happen.
Eleanor: get funding from grants – there are loads around,
especially for start-up festivals, but these must have social or
economic benefits, which will be conditions of grants applications.
Build up cash to finance next year’s festival. The festival market
is very competitive, there are tens of thousands all over the UK.
Know your market and try and a find a specialist niche area, rather
than go for the general festival.
What's new for Maryport Blues Festival in 2007?
All: We are moving up in the premier league, by increasing our
spend on main stage artists by 50%. We will be featuring two major
headliners: one on the Friday and the other on the Saturday and the
artists we are currently talking to will have appeal to both blues
and non-blues fans.
What gives you the biggest Blues festival-related headache?
(and how did you cope with funding when you first started?)
Dave: The logistics of having a marquee for the main venue. It
takes months of preparation to organise marquee layout plans,
health and safety documents, insurance, H&S [health and safety]
and fire inspections, security, catering, toilets, water, etc. For
the festival itself it takes three days to erect the marquee, two
days to install staging, sound and lighting, electricity and
a couple more to dismantle the marquee.
Debra: Local accommodation for artists is difficult to find.
Artists riders have been a headache, with strange and expensive
requests for accommodation, drink, food, etc. We have learnt
to say “no” to riders now to artists’ managers...
Eleanor: For the first few years, the festival was wholly dependent
to grants. Cash flow was a particular headache, as grants were paid
out after the event. With increased ticket sales, we are now funded
by both ticket sales income, sponsorship and grants.
Do you have any worries about the future of Maryport Blues
Festival?
All: Not that we anticipate today. We believe we can continue to
deliver the annual festival at it current high quality level, if we
can increase ticket sales and sponsorship. We hope to feature
bigger headliners and improve our national profile.
How do local people react to the festival, and how do you think
it benefits the community?
Debra: Maryport people are very possessive of the festival and
very proud of the festival.
Eleanor: Such is the support for the festival, that I think if
anyone tried to prevent the festival happening everyone in Maryport
would sign a petition against them.
All: The festival is the biggest annual event in Maryport and in
2006 it drew 18,000 visitors to the town. Over 9%, equivalent to
>1500 people came from outside the county of Cumbria.
This event is of huge significance to the local community for the
following reasons:
Social
• A large proportion of the audience are local people and over
100 Maryport residents are volunteers for the event.
Economic
• The festival is the biggest annual event in Maryport and is
responsible for attracting the largest number of visitors from
outside the town and Cumbria. Money spent in the town during the
festival goes directly into the local economy; the local press
estimate that £1m was generated during the weekend in
2006.
• To enhance these benefits to the town, Maryport Festival has
adopted a policy of not encouraging traders to the town with food,
craft and other stalls, which would take business away from the
local shops. We have a handful of catering franchises only. Whilst
traders may bring some colour to the town and generate income for
the festival, we believe they will reduce income to local
businesses. We are focussed on creating a top quality music
festival with a friendly atmosphere in a perfect location. The
social, economic and cultural benefits flow from this.
• Pubs, restaurants and cafes in the town, without exception
indicate that the festival is their best weekend of the year with a
ten-fold increase in trade, takings from the weekend are a
significant proportion of their annual profits.
• All local bed and breakfasts and hotels are full to capacity
for the weekend.
• All local tourist attractions report significant increases
in visitor numbers during the weekend.
• Statistics indicate that a significant number of visitors
plan to make return visits to Maryport as a result of their visit
to the festival.
Cultural
• The presence of musicians from around the globe, including
famous names such as Jools Holland, Dionne Warwick, Buddy Guy,
Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Robert Lockwood, etc has enhanced the
cultural life of Maryport and helped to stimulate other live music
events. This event expands on Maryport’s longstanding
tradition of carnival and amateur productions and supports other
community arts initiatives linked to the regeneration of the
town.
• In 2006 the festival drew 18,000 visitors to the town. Over
9%, equivalent to >1500 people came from outside the county of
Cumbria. A significant number of visitors indicate that they
will be making a return visit to Maryport. Pubs, restaurants and
cafes indicate that the festival is the best weekend of the year,
takings are a significant proportion of their annual profits. The
event has stimulated the creation of additional bed spaces in the
town and a vibrant year round culture of live music both of which
will support the growth of tourism in Maryport.
Were there any unexpected pitfalls in organising the Blues
Festival for the first time? And do you think you have overcome
them?
All: Yes, loads, in all areas. We have overcome them by learning
by experience. Lots of potential pitfalls in the legislation area,
e.g. compliance with Health and Safety issues. In our
first year, we didn’t know about PRS (Performing Rights Society)
fees and were hit with a big bill after the festival.
Do you have a favourite Blues Festival anecdote?
Debra: In 2002, Dionne Warwick’s rider included a £126 bottle of
champagne, which we bought for her. On the night she drank one
glass and we drank the rest!
Dave: Hoovering the stage with a Dyson in front of 1500 people in
2004, before Buddy Guy came on. Very surreal. Chatting to some
artists outside the marquee by the marina in the sun and some-one
saying they could hardly believe it was the North of England and
the atmosphere was more like the South of France. And a major
headliners US manager coming in, throwing his weight around and
changing all the sound and lighting settings. Half an hour later
the setting were where they were originally!
Interview with Ann Martin and Rod Evans from Keswick Film
Festival
Keswick Film Festival happens every February at venues around
Keswick including The Alhambra and Theatre by the Lake. The 9th
Keswick Film Festival is being held in two parts with Feb Film
8-10th February and the main festival 10 - 13 April 2008. To
find out more information and programme details visit www.keswickfilmfestival.org
What is your proudest Keswick Film
Festival moment?
Ann: Because I stepped in when the committee (all volunteers)
had virtually collapsed from running it for a number of years – the
moment when a new committee came together and it became clear
we could make it happen even though we had started late.
How did Keswick Film Festival begin?
Rod Evans: It all started in a moment of typical enthusiasm from
Keswick Film Club’s founder, Tony Martin. Once we’d got the Club
off the ground, and the spring 1999 season was progressing well,
Tony, casting around for new challenges, said: ‘Well, that’s
looking good; perhaps we should try a festival next?’ The
idea was taken up enthusiastically – there were several film
versions of Shakespeare plays either on release or in the offing
that year, so it was a natural choice to include a strand of these,
add a dash of Kieslowski (Three Colours Trilogy) and some ‘Best of
the Fests’ and we were away… The programming was the easy part, but
a need for fund-raising was soon apparent. Beginners’ luck was on
our side (or perhaps more accurately, discerning funders were
willing to encourage a new initiative) and those in the know were
surprised and impressed to see £1000 coming our way from the BFI.
With more handsome sums coming in from Awards for All (Lottery),
Northern Arts (we were Newcastle-oriented in those days) and the
Foundation for Sport and the Arts (as well as Allerdale, Keswick
and some sponsorship) it was all as encouraging as one could have
hoped.
All that was needed after that was a lot of
hard work on the part of Ian Picken (Festival Co-ordinator),
Chairman Tony and Secretary Rod. Spring half-term 2000 was chosen
because we thought that Keswick’s B & Bs needed filling at a
slack time of the year (what idealism!) and the Theatre ‘goes dark’
through that period, so film projection can take place when the
stage is undergoing maintenance.
All went well, the films were much enjoyed (by
smallish audiences) and, unsurprisingly, we ended up with a healthy
surplus to carry forward to 2001, thanks to the funders’ generosity
and the whole enterprise (apart from film projection) benefiting
from volunteer labour.
Have you got any regrets?
Ann: No! Ask me afterwards!
What advice would you give to someone who would like to set
up their own festival?
Ann: It's teamwork – you need a good team;
voluntary activity can interfere with your life.
What's new for Keswick Film Festival in
2007?
Ann: More great movies, more guests, promoting
the Creative Partnerships /Shoreline / celebration of abolition of
slavery.
What gives you the biggest film festival-related headache?
(and how did you cope with funding when you first started?)
Ann: Trying to get sustainable funding year on
year…. Hard to get 3 year funding so each year scrabbling for
money.
Do you have any worries about the future of Keswick
Film Festival?
No!
How do local people react to the festival, and how do
you think it benefits the community?
Feedback is fantastic from people who go –
most of the forms say they will be back next year. Businesses see
people coming to the town in quiet times. Sponsors like the
party!
Were there any unexpected pitfalls in
organising the Film Festival for the first time? And do
you think you have overcome them?
Rod Evans: Not particularly – funding is easier
in some ways for a new initiative, enthusiasm is, or should be at
its height, and you can shape it exactly as you like, without any
constraints from having to look over your shoulder at precedents.
But you do need people with a certain amount of time on their
hands: the retired, the unemployed, even the B&B proprietor
will have less pressure than the average nine-to-fiver. We haven’t
always been able to reproduce that availability of spare time,
especially when 4 out of the committee of 5 had to withdraw after
the 2006 Festival, one to leave the area, the other 3 to take up
more work responsibilities.
Do you have a favourite Film Festival anecdote?
Rod Evans: Jack Cardiff was and still is regarded
as a hugely influential figure in the world of cinematography
because of his extraordinarily long career and quantity of highly
successful films, his inventiveness and painterly comprehension of
the images he worked with.
He came to the Third Keswick Film Festival in 2002, aged 88 –
and he’s still giving talks and making public appearances today, I
believe - to illustrate our theme of ‘Great British
Cinematographers’ The others, for the record, were Roger Deakins
(we screened his Coen Brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy),
Geoffrey Unsworth (2001- A Space Odyssey) and Chris Menges
(The Killing Fields).
Our choice for Jack’s film was The African Queen which
he lit for John Huston in 1951. So, it being my turn to look after
him on that Sunday morning at the Keswick Alhambra, there we were
sitting in the stalls ready to see the movie. Our timing of the
programme must have been as bad as the promotion of the film, for
there we were surrounded by an audience of…27 people. Sitting there
with perhaps the world’s greatest cinematographer watching a re-run
of his own creation. Jack was entirely unperturbed by this – we had
already been down to Derwentwater for the Border TV crew to film us
pretending to pull one of the launches ashore at the end of a rope,
just like Humphrey Bogart in the film, and he took it all in his
stride – but when the film started, the image on screen was a kind
of pinkish-grey hue. Jack just turned to me and said: ‘this is the
kind of rubbishy print we used to send to Africa!’ But he sat
uncomplainingly through it, and we went off afterwards for a good
lunch.
Allerdale Borough Council
