Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale

Subject: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Fantum
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 01:01 PM

Did any catters go to the Bamfest folk Festival at Bedale over the weekend and if so what was it like.

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: Rockhen
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 01:45 PM

In my opinion it was well organised and very enjoyable. It had a real variety of music and the venues were within walking distance. Even the camping was near enough to walk to the various concerts. The Bamfest 'officials' were friendly and helpful and I would definitely choose to go next year if at all possible. The posters and programme were professional and the whole thing felt like a well-established festival rather than the first year. The town of Bedale is also a pleasant place to visit and near to lots of beautiful countryside.

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: John J
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 07:11 AM

Bugger, didn't even know about it until seeing this. Perhaps the event could be promoted a little more widely - but if it's a first-time festival the organisers are probably still feeling their way.

I'll watch out for it next year.

JJ

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 10:31 AM

John J - where are you based?

Event was advertised on all the festival listing websites (we could find), widely on Facebook & Twitter, in the Northern Echo and related publications (a lot - our publicity guy works for there parent company), folk radio programmes in the North ...... 10,000 flyers distributed locally and other festivals nationally. I even started a thread on here .......

I guess these things just take time to filter through.

Thanks for your kind words Rockhen.

I thought it was cracking, but then I would wouldn't I :-)

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: John J
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 11:14 AM

I'm in Altrincham, Cheshire.

Sounds like you had a cracking time, does the event have an emailing list I could subscribe to?

JJ

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: greg stephens
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 11:19 AM

Keep your eyes open JohnJ! We have all been bombarded with Bamfest publicity for ages by the irrepressible banjiman, to whom great praise and respect for a conspicuously successful bit of festival organising.

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 11:43 AM

Yes, it WAS cracking! I was being honest, not kind...really impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the publicity was brilliant, too. The posters for the different venues were a nice touch, too, for the non headline acts.:-)

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 11:44 AM

Oops, that was and this is rockhen:-)

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 11:54 AM

Sorry Greg!

JohnJ is obviously not my 'friend' on facebook..... or he WOULD know about it!


Bottom left of page for email subscription!

Paul

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Tracey-Merlin's Keep
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 01:08 PM

We were there as performers, and had a brilliant time. As Rockhen said, it really was well organised, and didn't feel like the first festival. The venues were good, and well run. All close together, friendly faces everywhere and we were made so welcome.

There was a nice mix of music and plenty going on in the form of workshops and sessions. Also, a great festival program was available, very well put together. Can't fault the publicity, it's been everywhere.

I would certainly return as a paying punter in the future.

Highlight for me was William the donkey. We were camping literally 2 feet away from him and by the end of the festival he'd got the measure of us. He'd worked out that if he started braying loudly, we would give him handfuls of the juicy grass from our side of the fence!

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,DaveG
Date: 05 Jun 13 - 04:40 PM

Had a blast - I was there as a performer and I can only agree with the post above. The Town was perfect for a festival with the venues being close together and all the venues I was in or performed at were well stewarded. The pub punters were well behaved and up for it and there was a really nice, friendly buzz about the place.

It may have been the first festival but the organisers had the whole thing well sussed and everything seemed to run like clockwork.   My only regret was that I had to leave after the concert on Saturday night (Henry Priestman - new hero) which was a shame because Sunday was going to be spent in sessions of which there were plenty to choose from.

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: John J
Date: 06 Jun 13 - 12:20 AM

Sorry - I don't do Facebook.

Point taken though, I'll keep my eyes skinned for next year!
Paul: thanks for the link.

JJ

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 08 Jun 13 - 04:46 AM

It WAS a blast! Great gigs and, as already mentioned, everything was within walking distance. It certainly didn't seem like a 'first time' event and Bedale is a lovely wee place and the locals were great too. The morning I left, as I was packing the instruments into the car, a shop-keeper came out and asked how I'd enjoyed the weekend and thanked me for coming to support the festival. It was THAT sort of 'do'! Roll on next year!

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: John J
Date: 08 Jun 13 - 08:23 AM

Perhaps you were bombarded with publicity - it certainly didn't find it's way to me....I'd have been there if I had known about it.

The trouble with event publicity is that it's all but impossible to gauge it's effectiveness until the event itself.

Hope to be there next year.

JJ

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: Jack Campin
Date: 08 Jun 13 - 12:49 PM

I can't think where I'd have heard about it if it wasn't announced here (maybe in print material distributed at Whitby).

Twitter is fine if you know what you're looking for but I don't see how it would help with this. Searching on #bam I expected to get a bunch of tweets relating to the Scottish sense of the word - instead what I got was entirely incmprehensible.

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 08 Jun 13 - 02:12 PM

We also had adverts in fRoots and Living Tradition ...... and an editorial in there.

Also Folk Roundabout and Tykes news ........ without paying for adverts on the telly I'm not sure what more we could have done :-)

Plenty of people DID find us I'm pleased to say, hope to see those who didn't next year!

Subject: RE: Bamfest Folk Festival Bedale
From: JHW
Date: 09 Jun 13 - 04:06 AM

As I'd heard of Bamfest I googled just that and up it came. Comprehensive website about who's on, venues, campsite etc. but though I looked back several times I could never find a programme. That might have tipped the balance but I prefer singarounds to concerts so went to the 'Black Bull' Bender nr Whitby.