do you remember your first festival?

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: GUEST,oaktree
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 05:42 PM

My parents were folkies so my first festival was Broadstairs or Sidmouth in utero and, no, I dont remember it. ;-) I remember later festivals as a kid though and I enjoyed them all. Growing up in folk's nomadic village was one of the best things about my childhood. Outstanding memories include: the Hooden Horses at Broadstairs; being called on to sing for the first time at a singaround (John Kirkpatrick sang too); and the first time a professional storyteller asked if I'd teach her one of my stories (I was a teenager by then). Endless fun. Thanks to all the older generation of adults who created folk's nomadic village and made it work.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Bernard
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 05:07 PM

Sidmouth 1969, camping. The tents opposite were occupied by the Yetties and families, and have been friends ever since.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:50 PM

Yes, 1965 in Wellington NZ. And I've been to most of the other Wellington/National Folk Festivals since then - only missed 1972 and 1990. Both times I was in Britain and we went to other folk festivals instead.
Some NFFs were in High Schools or the University but we outgrew the venues. It was held in the middle of our winter, (beginning of June) and folkies from outside Wellington had to be billeted.
Now it's a camping festival, held as summer is beginning, (end of October) with a huge marquee and lots of tents but also bunk houses for the people like me who no longer wish to sleep on the ground. Been there, done that, not any more thank you!
Robyn

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:26 PM

Hexham 1967 guests were The Spinners, The Watersons, Harry Boardman and Tony Green. The following morning The Sunday Sun had headlines regarding the wanton orgy that the festival was; drunken revellry and promiscuous petting in public.
Disgusting.............I didn't get any.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:23 PM

Cambridge 1971. Newport Folk Club went up in a minibus driven by "Dublin" (Bertie) Moran. Stopped along the way to lay in stocks of food and drink (apples, cheese, Newky Brown). Shared tents. Drove home into the dawn on the Sunday night, singing some of the way and dreaming for the rest of it.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:05 PM

Yes! I was about eight. It was this: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/rougham-tree-faire-1981.html

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: I don't know
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:05 PM

Great to read peoples memories & well done to VirginiaTam on your first camping festival, great fun even in bad weather & to Brakn for making Shrewsbury your first FOLK festival, may you attend many more.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 02:02 PM

Windsor Jazz & Blues 1967 - Cream, Jeff Beck, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac etc!

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Diva
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 02:00 PM

Ohhh aye...Girvan 1980.....thought I'd died and gone to heaven...i nearly did cos for reasons best known to myself i poured part of a can of lager over Jack Foley's head when it emerged from under a table.......don't ask me why....

First proper away from home festival with camping was Newcastleton 1980.....

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Brakn
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:56 PM

First festival was 1968 National Jazz and Blues Festival. I had just turned 15 and I can't believe that my parents let me hitch-hike to London at that age!

I certainly do remember my first folk festival; Shrewsbury 2010!

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:53 PM

this may sound sad... but I don't feel it is.
I am 52 years old.


This year's Sidmouth was my first proper camping festival of any kind.

AND IT WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT!

Ticking off the weeks until the next.

Moira Furnace this year was my second camping festival

AND IT WAS FABULOUS!

I can't wait until next summer.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Andy Jackson
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:48 PM

Sidmouth about 69 or 70.
Cutty Wren Folk Club went en masse, with two big tents for boys and girlies (that's how it was in those days!)
Rosie Hardman singing among the fishing boats.
Ahh, the Beach Store!
Singing all the way back to the campsite on a very overcrowded bus.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:31 PM

Summerfolk in Owen Sound, Ontario in 1999. Over-crowded camping with round-the-clock racket and no hot water, Edmund's blessed Coleman stove ... and wonderful music.

Unfortunately, that festival was on the brink of outgrowing its venue; within a couple of years its main-stage area was so overcrowded that I could not stand it. I would have been willing to put up with the daily "land rush" for seating and the horrid camping if the programmers had not turned away from traditional repertoire in favour of singer-songwriters whom we found much less likely to be worth the discomfort of the camping and the cramping.

It helped that, just when we realized we didn't like Summerfolk any more, we discovered the more sympatico Celtic Roots Festival down the road in Goderich.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: JHW
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:51 PM

Cleethorpes on the Pier in 1968. Wonderful. All you had to do was get on the Pier and everything was there. Concert or Ceilidh in the big hall, singaround in the bar, food in the cafe. Other shows too in the hall. I well remember Magic Lantern. When the dancing was happening the whole pier swayed on its legs.
Alas no real ale, it hadn't been re-invented and if you fancied singing a song yourself in the bar, probably standing, you'd have to have your first line and key ready to dive straight in the second the previous song finished. Maybe not very inclusive but good training.
An awful long walk back to the campsite way past the latter Winter Gardens and we thought we were done for when a load of Hell's Angels pulled up around our pitches. But no, they listened to lots of songs and left.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Banjiman
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:48 PM

First Tolk Festival? Cleethorpes '69 or maybe '70. I was 4 (or 5)........ I remember the ice cream was good and I got stung by a wasp!

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:45 PM

My first folk festival was Saddleworth 2009, and since I didn't actually go to any ticketed events or stay overnight I'm not sure even that counts. (I wasn't really into folk music between about 1975 and 2005, which may account for it. Also I don't like camping.)

The OP reminds me that the first (only) time I saw Steeleye live was also the first (only) time I saw Richard Digance, who was supporting them; he was hilarious, more or less from the moment he walked on (Hello, good evening and welcome to Folk Club, my name's Roy Harper...). Top gig, although not at a festival.

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Bobert
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:40 PM

If we're talkin' "folk festival", I reckon it would have been 'round '66 at Wolftrap Farms... It was called the National Folk Festival... Very laid back...

B~

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:36 PM

My 1st was the Smithsonian in '70. Ralph Rinzler found my wife and I (we had hitchiked to DC on a whim) a place to stay, had lunch at Libba Cotten's house, got to meet Jimmy Driftwood and played with Viola Hensley. What a great time.


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: do you remember your first festival?
From: G-Force
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 11:21 AM

First festival: Bob Dylan, Isle of Wight, 1969.

First folk festival: Cambridge (UK), 1975.

Subject: do you remember your first festival?
From: I don't know
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 09:55 AM

Sitting here thinking about my first folk festival had me thinking do you remember yours?
My first experience was in 1976 aged 16 when I went with a crowd to Norwich Folk Festival at Norwich University. I remember it was a pleasant weekend with good camping & a good well behaved crowd, but the outstanding memory was when my husband to be told me I would not like the guy on the outside stage (Richard Digance) & took me in the main hall to watch Steeleye Span. I loved Steeleye Span anyway & this was the first time I saw them live. After that festival I got my way & went to see Richard Digance who I think is every good.
I often wonder way festivals are not held in collages/universities more often? Is it cost & limited time of availability that stops it happening?