Cleethorpes festival cancelled

Subject: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: old git
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:13 AM

Thought I'd put this in, in case anyone missed the message in the other thread.(Cleethorpes Festival 23-26 May 2008)
Another one bites the dust. Hopefully it will rise again in spite of all the problems that the organisers encountered this year. However it will only succeed if enough people buy tickets!!
It looks as if the Willy Workshop will have to be sheathed for at least one more year!
geoff

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Mr Happy
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:18 AM

http://www.cleethorpesfolkfestival.org.uk/

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: GUEST,Neovo
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:23 AM

Sad news!

Perhaps those who on other threads have been espousing cheaper rates for traders and site only tickets so that you can maybe listen to the music outside without buying a full-price ticket will reflect on this. The sums have to add up for a festival to be viable and no festival, no non-ticket fringe events for those who can't/won't buy a ticket to engage in.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:30 AM

That's a terrible shame - one of my favourite fests (and we were looking forward to playing in 09 too). Sympathy and love to all. T

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Rasener
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:32 AM

Go ahead drive the nails in My hands,
Laugh at Me where you stand.
Go ahead, and say it isn't Me,
The day will come when you will see,

'Cause I'll rise again.
There's no pow'r on earth can tie Me down.
Yes, I'll rise again,
Death can't keep Me in the ground.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:38 AM

I am sorry to see a good festival go, but I reiterate my oft stated view, that there are too many festivals in the first place.

G

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:39 AM

It is indeed sad news that another festival has had to take a year out, but there really is no need to pick on those who have been enquiring about fair prices for pensioners and traders - if tickets were not priced beyond the audience means, then more might have bought them in advance.

It is an extremely fine line to tread - pricing to make it a viable event or pricing yourself out of your market. For the small, independent, single festival organisers, it's an impossible and thankless task. For those with the might of one of the big names behind then (Mrs Casey springs to mind), it's still difficult, but they at least have some reserves to fall back on.

This year, we have all seen a rise in any number of charges - Insurance and license costs, food and fuel being the most significant and most likely to affect the average folkie. For some it just simply isn't possible to afford more than one festival or one holiday, or one boiler replacement... and in that situation, it's the small service provider who is going to lose out. Big names can offer better prices... that's all there is to it. To suggest people reflect on their wanting a better deal as being the cause of this particular festival cancelling this year is unfair.

LTS

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:58 AM

It's always easier to blame someone else isn't it?

G

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Rasener
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 06:03 AM

I would compliment the organsisers on facing facts and making a very tough decision and not letting their heart rule their head.

Very brave and sensible committee.

Blame does not come into this.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 06:05 AM

Well said, Liz

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 06:37 AM

Although I only went a couple of times I think this is sad news indeed. It shows what the impact of losing a venue like the Winter Gardens does.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Mr Happy
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 06:45 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Gardens_%28Cleethorpes%29

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 06:52 AM

My post wasn't a dig at Liz, just a general observation BTW.
I was reminded of another current thread which seems to be looking to blame someone else.

G.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: muppitz
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 07:55 AM

Looks like we've reached a saturation point as far as festivals are concerned.
Shame, I was looking forward to going this year.

muppitz
x

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: r.padgett
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 09:08 AM

O dear!

I think best thing to do is have a much smaller do ~ using what you have in the way of facilities and venues and then let it grow if it will!

Cleethorpes by the sea of course and nothing better, but why not try something a bit further inland?

Ray

Who remembers it on the pier, etc

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: johnadams
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 10:35 AM

By the sea Ray??

When the tide's out Cleethorpes is a LOT further inland! :-)

Yes, I remember it on the pier and in even earlier years I seem to remember it included blues and jazz.

J

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: old git
Date: 01 May 08 - 05:40 AM

It would be a pity to see it go forever....here's hoping it will come back in whatever size or shape.
geoff

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 01 May 08 - 09:24 AM

I've been a regular at Cleethorpes but hadn't bought a ticket this year. Why not? Firstly, I wasn't overly impressed by the list of artists; it seemed to run a bit thin, for that price, for a 4 day festival. Secondly, I was unhappy about locations of venues against campsite. That short-ish walk from tent to Winter Gardens was just about right, but that's now gone. As is the unique Winter Gardens atmosphere including its food smells wafting onto the stage.

My intention had been to visit for just one day this year, ticket yet to be bought, and see how it went. Sad to see the festival go, but not as sad as I was to lose last year's.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 02 May 08 - 09:28 AM

Giok: "...too many festivals in the first place..."; well, maybe, but it's a shame that Cleethorpes, which was one of the ones that WAS there 'in the first polace' - or not far off it - should be one of the first to suffer.
John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: Rasener
Date: 10 May 08 - 05:21 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 10 May 08 - 07:00 AM

A good point made by Dai Woosnam on a different forum:

It may well be that the issue here was less the list of artists or the absence of a loved venue, but the fact that the festival a year off in 2007, leading - possibly - to a number of regulars "breaking the habit" as it were, and transferring allegiancies. In a market that is well-served by many festivals in the summer (I will not debate the "saturated" here), this can happen very easily. Equivalent examples cited were of much-loved pubs closing for refurbishment only to find that their cliantelle has moved permanently to other pastures.

It has a ring of plausibility about it. And if so, then it shows the wisdom of Sidmouth going ahead and having a scaled-down festival when it changed hands - just for the sake of continuity.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 10 May 08 - 07:16 AM

missed a "took" above...befuddled brain.

Subject: RE: Cleethorpes festival cancelled
From: GUEST,doc.tom
Date: 11 May 08 - 06:01 AM

"too many festivals" - ??? It's the market stupid!

It is never that simple - everybody seems to be being very careful with their cash and not comitting until they see the end result of American banks lending money to people they knew couldn't repay - aided and abetted by England's greedy bankers (like the Hong Kong and Shanghai Commercial Bank) - then our government spends OUR money bailing out people like Northern Rock.

No wonder people are hanging on to what money is left until they see how much more of it the government is going to give to the rich.