Why do folk clubs close over Summer?

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 07:19 PM

Just thinking of other Scottish clubs I go to: 2 of them continue all year round. One is monthly, and does not have guest nights in July and August, just session nights. Another is weekly, with guest nights once a month and sessions the other weeks, but again, no guests in July/August. But at least, they keep going.
One other club nominally takes a July/August break from monthly guest nights, but has in the last 2 or 3 years been asked by bands if they can come and do a gig for us in July or August. After due deliberation, it was agreed that they could do it in our usual premises but under a diferent set of conditions than the usual ones, with them shouldering more overall responsibility than the club committee. These "extra" gigs have proved popular, with reasonably good attendances.
Of course, in Scotland, summer holidays start a month earlier than in England, but there are enough of us grandparents, not taking our holidays then, to fill the seats.
And we also have a plethora of festivals, from March to October mainly, but not forgetting Celtic Connections and the Burns bonanzas in January!

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 08:27 AM

this year's White Horse is the last. Kate & Dave have done 30 and it is too much for them now.
But add River Folk Festival Lechlade, 4-6 Aug, on my list & they run a Friday Folk Club which might run through the year but their website is way out of date.

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 03:34 AM

Sorry, "Guest" immediately above was me with a dead cookie!

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 03:33 AM

It's surely down to festivals, in the UK at least? A quick non-exhaustive look at August, in England only, gives:


Wickham Festival - 3rd Aug 2017 - Wickham, PO17 5HD, Hampshire

Wilderness Festival - 3rd Aug 2017 - Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

Americana Folk & Roots - 4th Aug 2017 - Richmond DL11 6ED, Yorkshire

Sidmouth Folk Week - 4th Aug 2017 - Sidmouth, Devon

Sidmouth Fringe Sessions - 5th Aug 2017 - Salcombe Regis, Devon

Surrey Mini Bluegrass Festival - 5th Aug 2017 - Mickleham, RH5 6EE, Surrey

Boomtown Behind the Mask - 10th Aug 2017 - Matterley Estate, Winchester, SO21 1HW, Hampshire

Fairport's Cropredy Convention - 10th Aug 2017 - Cropredy, Oxfordshire

Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance - 11th Aug 2017 - Billingham, Cleveland

Bridport Folk Festival - 11th Aug 2017 - Bridport, Dorset

Broadstairs Folk Week - 11th Aug 2017 - Broadstairs, Kent

Dartmoor Folk Festival - 11th Aug 2017 - South Zeal near Okehampton, Devon

Lake District Folk Weekend - 11th Aug 2017 - Staveley, Cumbria

Saltburn Festival - 11th Aug 2017 - Saltburn, Yorkshire

Bath Folk Festival - 12th Aug 2017 - Bath, Somerset

Folk At The Fort - 12th Aug 2017 - Newhaven, BN9 9DS, Sussex

Radford Mill Blues Festival - 12th Aug 2017 - Radford, BA2 0QF, Somerset

Beautiful Days - 18th Aug 2017 - Escot Park, Devon

FolkEast - 18th Aug 2017 - Glemham Hall Grounds,, Suffolk

Just So Festival - 18th Aug 2017 - Rode Hall, Cheshire

Moira Furnace Folk Festival - 18th Aug 2017 - Moira, Swadlicote, DE12 6AT, Leicestershire

White Horse Folk Festival - 18th Aug 2017 - Grove, Oxfordshire

Whitby Folk Week - 19th Aug 2017 - Whitby, Yorkshire

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival - 24th Aug 2017 - Purbeck Valley Farm, Swanage, Dorset

Shambala Festival - 24th Aug 2017 - Secret, Northamptonshire

Cornwall Folk Festival - 25th Aug 2017 - Wadebridge, Cornwall

Cottingham Folk Festival - 25th Aug 2017 - Cottingham, Yorkshire

Greenbelt - 25th Aug 2017 - Boughton Estate, Kettering,NN14 1BJ, Northamptonshire

Maui Waui Festival - 25th Aug 2017 - Theberton, Suffolk

Shrewsbury Folk Festival - 25th Aug 2017 - Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Solfest - 25th Aug 2017 - Tarns Nr Aspatria, CA7 4NG, Cumbria

Stroud Fringe - 25th Aug 2017 - Stroud, Gloucestershire

Towersey Festival - 25th Aug 2017 - Towersey, Oxfordshire

England's Medieval Festival - 26th Aug 2017 - Herstmonceux Castle, BN27 1RN, East Sussex

Liverpool Sea Shanty Festival - 26th Aug 2017 - Liverpool, Lancashire

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 03:01 AM

I can understand that the organisers may wish a break and some of the regulars may be on holiday too but I'd have thought passing trade especially in more touristy areas woud more than make up for this. Also, I'd be more inclined to leave the house on a Summer night too.

It's a while back but Llandudno worked that way. There may have been odd guest night outside of this but it only had regular (say 1 in 4) guest nights in the town's summer season. January was the difficult time when it might have been debatable whether to close or use a round the tables format rather than that club's usual set of three at the mic format for singers nights. The passing summer trade brought in the odd floor singer as well as audience.

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: r.padgett
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 02:27 AM

Best time in UK for folk clubs is in the winter when it is cold and dark and wet!

Ppl need to get out and about and enjoy good weather in the summer ~ many of course head for the folk festivals and enjoy camping caravanning singing and music and dance etc with other from all over UK and further

Ray

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Jul 17 - 01:57 AM

Same with ceilidh series. The time for holidays, folk festivals, gardening, rambling, etc.
And dancing in the hot weather is challenging. So challenging some people go to Sidmouth for 8 days of 4 challenges per day (minimum).

And then you could consider Whitby, Broadstairs or Gennetines.

Busy time for dancers.

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 09 Jul 17 - 01:20 PM

What Malcolm said. Spot on!

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: GUEST,Malcolm Storey
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 07:29 PM

The upsurge of festivals accounted for some of even the flourishing clubs either closing or at best running singarounds at certain times of the year.

This was mostly in the "summer" months and was certainly the case with the Folk Union One in Hull in its later years when it closed for Cleethorpes and Beverley festivals as well as the whole of August which was also effected by the school and so family holidays.

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 05:52 PM

Well, I've always thought that the Uk summer break tradition started in the 60s when lots of clubs had school teachers running them, and so they fell in with the academic breaks.

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 05:27 PM

Many folk venues around Rhode Island operate only during the academic year when college students and staff are available as volunteers and audience members. Also the summer is filled with folk festivals. Performers and the audience can't be everywhere at once!

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: RTim
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 04:36 PM

The club in Woods Hole Cape Cod Massachusetts closes every Summer (for over 40 years) because of Holidays and Holiday makers.........

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 03:55 PM

It used to be that we were busy taking family holidays during the school holidays. Nowadays we kook after the grandkids during the school holidays!

Robin

Subject: RE: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 03:50 PM

There are exceptions but experience shows that most guest booking clubs will not have sustainable audiences in August.

Most that I know either shut down altogether or run as singers nights or informal singarounds.

Subject: Why do folk clubs close over Summer?
From: Johnny J
Date: 07 Jul 17 - 12:45 PM

Many of them do, at any rate.

Edinburgh Folk Club never used to do this and, as I recall, proved very successful during the tourist season. It even put on its own Fringe Shows.
Changes in venues made it less practical to continue especially after moving to the Pleasance which is always hired by Fringe companies during that time.

However, I notice that most clubs, especially in Scotland, seem to close their doors at this time of year.

I can understand that the organisers may wish a break and some of the regulars may be on holiday too but I'd have thought passing trade especially in more touristy areas woud more than make up for this. Also, I'd be more inclined to leave the house on a Summer night too.