What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?

Subject: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Acorn4
Date: 21 Dec 17 - 07:34 PM

Several of the folk festivals that we usually go to are not running next year because the people that organise them are of my generation in their seventies and are suffering from the resultant health issues and not wanting any more the stress involved in organising such large scale events.

There are a lot of really good young acts playing excellent traditional music but where are they going to play if no one takes on the mantle of the aging generation of event organisers?

Do the people running the folk degree courses include a module on how to run a folk festival?

In most cases the organisers have a wealth of experience accumulated over several years.

Are we going to end up with the young musicians having to throw in the towel and get "proper jobs" because there is nowhere to play?

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 02:46 AM

This being Mudcat somebody will soon come back with an examply of a single organiser under pension age which will supposedly prove you wrong.

There is a more general issue over the lack of new (and younger) people getting into the organisation of events. Part of the problem is a lack of succession planning. In part this is down to a lack of people interested in becoming involved and in part down to organisers not being willing to let go.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: r.padgett
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 03:01 AM

What a good question:

Yes it seems many festivals of long standing as with folk clubs are in danger~

To my mind clubs and festivals were largely based on the tradition and supported by club goers and occasionals ~ many festivals were and are summer events and family based holidays

many gatherings and indeed weekly and monthly events have become fragmented and many people still want to do their own thing!

The key word is AUDIENCE ~ every is looking for and audience and paying customers for their take on what is folk music/festivals

Ray

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 04:30 AM

Looking at the audiences in folk clubs and concerts, I would say that members of the audience are going the same way as folk festival organisers.

Many people in folk circles belong to the same generation - including performers, organisers and audiences.

There are initiatives to introduce young musicians to folk music. But where will the new audiences come from? The nature of festivals will adapt to meet future demand.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 11:50 AM

'Part of the problem is a lack of succession planning.' That is the root cause. This problem is endemic in society as a whole. There are plenty of young people who are willing and able in all walks of life, but in most arenas I come across our throwaway, live-for-today society has neglected succession planning, to the extent that these keen young people have to keep re-inventing the wheel. It is OUR fault!

What can we do? Offer to go back into work on a volunteer basis and help. As retired people we can give them our time and expertise. That's what we're trying to do in Hull but it needs a more coordinated approach and encouragement from the top.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Jilly
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 12:20 PM

The trouble is there's no money to be made in it.
In the 'old days' people ran local festivals - and clubs for that matter - regardless of that fact, they did it because they wanted to out of a love for the music. Break even was good enough. I recall a conversation with an organiser who used to book and pay acts out of his own pocket and who frequently lost money. He compared it to spending money on other hobbies; playing golf was the analogy he used, and he reckoned he got more pleasure from the music than most get from golf.
Then it all became a business, there's nothing wrong with being business - like but folk music and the pursuit of profit don't often go hand in hand. A lot of festivals got too big for their boots with predictable results. People went to sponsors with the wrong attitude too, expecting hand outs instead of asking what the sponsors could get out of it.
When or if it becomes viable financially there will be a resurgence, I just hope it's not too late for the current generation, many of whom are far more talented than a lot of us old hacks !

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Morris-ey
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 12:41 PM

There are more folk festivals in the UK now than ever. I believe more people go to festivals than to clubs. Nothing is happening to festivals other than younger people are going to festivals rather than to clubs.

Anyone who says there is no money to be made is, simply, wrong.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: r.padgett
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 01:19 PM

Hard work and very difficult for newcomers to make a living from Folk music unless you have talent and are able to offer a number of strings for your bow ~ be a multi talented person and prepared to travel any where anytime any place ~ I would cite the likes of Flossie Malavialle and Matt Quinn and Pete Coe

There seem to be a number of ways that people can be successful ~ really good luck to them ~ but I would ask on what basis could or should people running a club and be supportive also be a presumed audience member and for go his/her usual night of singing/playing? This is down to personal preference, funds and inclination, is it not?

Ray

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 01:56 PM

I think that, in the UK, in some areas of the country there are actually too many festivals. I can think of at least three that have started up recently within an hour's drive of Sidmouth, for example. Bridport is organising its second one in 2018,the first one in 2017 having apparently gone well. There are only so many summer weekends that the festival going public can spread their time over!

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: peteglasgow
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 01:58 PM

in terms of performers struggling to make a living. a few years ago i met the great michael mcgoldrick at the b0eer tent at shrewsbury festival and thanked for having played twice at a very small venue in cumbria where i live. as he is (in folk terms) a highly successful performer and had recently backed mark knopfler on a US tour with dylan i asked him if it was worthwhile playing such small gigs as cockermouth. he said he just needed to make a living and needed to play where he was asked

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: peteglasgow
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 02:16 PM

i read that the organiser of the huge and very successful Glasgow Celtic Connections festival was having some difficulties in signing acts from overseas because of tighter controls on immigration (see effects of this brexit business) and on the falling value of the pound. a shame, particularly as scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 03:10 PM

You should try getting a permit to work in the USA pete.
Brexit as an excuse, is a red herring.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 04:13 PM

Couldn't agree more Mr. McKenzie. A certain group will blame everything on Brexit even although it has not yet happened and will not happen until the end of March 2019 at the earliest!

The trouble with festivals would appear to be that they are becoming "Music" Festivals where anything goes as opposed to "Folk" Festivals where those turning up expect to hear folk music. The Clubs went that way a long time ago. They now appear to be the preferred stalking ground of the singer/songwriter.

Locally someone who runs two festivals, one of which is billed as a "Folk" Festival, because that is the mantle he took over absolutely hates, loathes and detests "folk" music, but if it wasn't for "folk" clubs and "folk" festivals he and his band would have nowhere to play.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: peteglasgow
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 05:41 PM

i wasn't expressing an opinion - it is a fact that brexit has had an economic effect already so our pound is worth less abroad.
it's also fact that many people have left this coutry or are less willing to come after the vote and the shambles of our government's attempts to deal with it. i don't know - nor does anyone -what the long/medium term effects will be but it is already affecting some british citizens and people who would like to come and work here.
and while in ireland and scotland the situation is marginally better, the nasty, regressive attitude of little england is making many parts a more hostile environment for everyone

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 08:32 PM

Steve G has hit it with "succession planning". I was one of the main organisers of a festival for 6 or 7 years: 2-3 of that before I retired from a very busy job, and the rest after. I indicated that I wanted to retire after 5 years, but, really there was no-one to carry it on, although we had a good number of people come on Committee that year, but they were just not ready yet to take on running a festival. But they all knuckled in and got better at making their own decisions in the succeeding years.
In my final year as Festival Coordinator, I did my best to pull together all the threads, contacts, forms, risk assessments, insurance docs et al, which had previously been dispersed among different Committee members, and put them all together in a single (Multi-faceted!) Festival Handbook - in electronic version so that any changes could be rapidly incorporated. As as I retired eventually after 3 years of trying, everyone on that Committee then got a copy of said handbook on a CD-ROM. However, as I had said I didn't mind being contacted with any queries during m first year off Committee, I often got such enquiries as "How do we contact so-and-so?" "All in the Hand-book" said I, to which, "What Handbook?" Bah, gah, doh, banging heid off wa'!! But have to say that succeeding years have been good if different!

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 22 Dec 17 - 08:39 PM

P.S. Expecting young folk to run festivals - difficult as they tend to be busy doing Uni courses, gap years, moving somewhere else after the above, and so on.
So what age group make the best FF organisers? Part from "anyone willing" maybe those who still have the energy and love of the music but have slightly older kids who can be cajoled to come along, even help, absorb the music, etc! (so am talking late 40s, 50s??)
And I'll leave politics out of it: not terribly relevant IMHO for this particular issue.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: theleveller
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 04:30 AM

One of the biggest problems of the folk scene is that a lot of younger people (and older ones including me) are fed up with the pedantry, intolerance, arrogance and huge egos of many of the older generation who run much of the scene. You just have to read a few Mudcat threads to see what I mean.

I can contrast this with my experiences over that last three years as a volunteer with The Woodland Trust on the nationwide Observatree Project. Charity volunteers tend to be predominantly over the age of 50 but, on this project, at least half of those I have met have been under 50, with a fair few in their 20s and 30s. The atmosphere, camaraderie and co-operation have been fantastic - from novices through to professional experts who have gone out of their way to spread their knowledge and experience of tree health and threats and give help and encouragement whenever it's needed. Nationwide, Observatree has been a huge success and is set to continue for the next few years at least. If the attitudes that are prevalent here were to be mirrored in the folk scene, there would be no need for threads like this.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 05:12 AM

One of the biggest problems of the folk scene is that a lot of younger people (and older ones including me) are fed up with the pedantry, intolerance, arrogance and huge egos of many of the older generation who run much of the scene. You just have to read a few Mudcat threads to see what I mean."
leveller
   i suggest you start running a festival yourself, I have been ruuning a festival for 7 years, i am a comparative novice compared to John Taylor 50 years and some other organisers, however i have booked the following people Martin , Rosie Stewart, Martin Carthy Andy Irvine, Tom Lewis, Jim Mageaan, Rosin White,Chris Wilson, Ann Alderson other artists including bluegrass, singer songwriters, norwegian shanty choirs.
people like the leveller who go around with the" half empty philosophy", should get off their arse and try organising themselve.,

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: theleveller
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 06:38 AM

So, Sandman, you're saying that my experience of the folk scene is not relevant? I think that just reinforces the point I'm making. I have no desire to organise a festival, nor do I have the skills, and I really appreciate the hard work of those like, for example, Leila Cooper who organises the amazing Moonbeams Festival. Typically, you are not prepared to listen to criticism so, as far as I'm concerned, you and your ilk can fuck off - I have better things to do with my time.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: TheSnail
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 07:30 AM

Going back to the beginning -
Are we going to end up with the young musicians having to throw in the towel and get "proper jobs" because there is nowhere to play?
Is it too much to ask that some of those young musicians started to do some organising themselves. That's what was happening fifty and more years ago. Performers ran their own clubs and festivals and booked each other.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 08:00 AM

The real answer, surely, is that the organisers of those disappearing festivals started them as a hobby. A passion for the genre.

In this day and age the vision is predominantly materialistic, and those that are interested in folk music are likely to be musicians rather than entrepreneurs.

Towersey was started by Steve Heap's father (et al) and he is handing over a large part of it to his son who is in his 30s. The headline acts reveal his taste in music and drive to grow the festival. But they ain't Folk. Joan Armatrading? Billy Bragg, if [politcal hectoring is more important than any musicality. Proclaimers?**
Singer songwriters are all good fare for Folk, but multi-Kw sound systems that need earplugs are Music Festival stuff. Folk is about people, clue's in the name. Anyone will tell you that the budget for ALL ceilidh bands there is less than that for the headline concert act. And the dance floor is never big enough. Full of Yoof.

At the end of the day, they have to make money, enough to cover a bad year. You can't sustain a loss every time. And the bigger they come, the more it is a full-time endeavour, which needs a stipend. Big risk.

The austerity and reduced disposable income we see, and predict for time to come will maybe generate small festivals that inevitably won't be visible. It doesn't mean they don't exist. And it doesn't mean they will be what we call Folk. Dylan was a shock to Folkies of the 60's, not to us. Was it ever thus?

Mr Happy - Denbigh is an example of small festivals that I mean.



** Richard Thompson is a bigger draw than. This year. IMNSHO

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 08:54 AM

Warwick has grown under the shepherdship of Dick Dixon, and his son is taking over much of it.

Upton upon Severn would be considered a small festival and though Ceri is not exactly a teenager she has been a musician since nappies and joined the committee this year. Her father started and made Bromyard. The whole family get involved each year, still.

With some festivals maybe there is the clue in "dynasty". That may be the Achilles heel of Shrewsbury but I know little (or wish to) of the hierarchy there. Cambridge ditto.

Then there is the IBM effect. IBM are not a small company, and the Watsons were a family, but the name is not on everybodies' lips these days. Unless you are into niche markets. Even folk has niche markets.

The French do things differently, one week at Gennetines proved a committee there can think properly. And it was FUN! If you dance.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 12:10 PM

One further point on festivals. There are too many of them, and there is a huge overlap of guest artistes. I would suggest that this overprovision of festivals, is one of the things that is killing our folk clubs. It gives both performers, and audiences a false image.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 07:43 PM

From: John MacKenzie - PM
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 12:10 PM

One further point on festivals. There are too many of them, and there is a huge overlap of guest artistes. I would suggest that this overprovision of festivals, is one of the things that is killing our folk clubs. It gives both performers, and audiences a false image."
I agree they do not help folk clubs

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 23 Dec 17 - 09:52 PM

I can't see that anything is wrong with them. they seem very varied - reflecting s lot of different ideas about folk music.

I'm sorry if some organisers are retiring, but nothing is forever, and I seem to see lots of newish festivals - the folk dance gang seems very active.

Festivals are always evolving.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 24 Dec 17 - 07:10 AM

It is the responsibility of current organisers to encourage and identify future potential talent in people. But.........
I well remember Bob Berry (Chippenham Folk Festival) lamenting the paucity of such talent. He tried for several years to identify such people, and didn't find any volunteers. He was hoping to train-up people. It was several years before I heard that in 2018 he will not be in charge, though around, I am sure. Just like Dick Stanger still is (his predecessor).
I well remember Gill commenting that Bob would pass up on 50,000 GBP worth of business to give him time to organise the festival and from what I see, he didn't get any stipend as organiser. And Chippers isn't that small.

Ya gotta want to be an organiser. I prefer to help in ways that suit my psyche.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Dec 17 - 09:48 AM

i think in a way they have already done their work - because they have enthused other people with the music.

i think the kind of fire in your belly to become a great organiser is something rather distinct. something you won't pick up in folk music 101. its a combination of hard headed business sense - and that really only comes from growing in a business minded family. plus idealism to ignore the fact that folk music is a minority interest, and fly in the face of economic sense.

When you see someone like Chris Deacon putting together the new Bridport Folk Music Festival , its quite inspiring. In a way every folk club and festival that Chris has attended has been his training and inspiration for the job. You can't be sure that there will be someone like that in your community to keep a festival going after the original creator retires,

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Morris-ey
Date: 24 Dec 17 - 12:16 PM

Many of the destination festivals are to do with making money and they do it very well. The days of the passionate amateur with a marquee in a field are long gone. Discerning punters expect better for their money.

I remember Bromyard when it was a small festival, supported by the West Midlands Folk Federation. It was pretty good back in the 70s but that sort of amateurism simply does not appeal to today's festival goer.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 24 Dec 17 - 12:30 PM

The days of the passionate amateur with a marquee in a field are long gone.

Or maybe the ones you don't know about have a following and little in the way of PR.
True the big festivals take a lot of the interest, and nimbyism another tranche.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Dec 17 - 06:13 AM

"It was pretty good back in the 70s but that sort of amateurism simply does not appeal to today's festival goer."
a generalisation, todays festival folk goers appear to have differing tastes some like festivals with lots of singarounds some people prefer concerts, some people like a mix. guest Morriss ey, seems to be good at making uninformed statements and being rude.
just because someone runs a festival as a hobby and is amateurish in the sense that they arenot running a festival purely for commercial profiut but are running it to break even does not mean that their approach as regards organisation such as publicity or providing good facilties is amateurish, guest morriss sey has just made a sweeping generalisatrion that denigrates the efforts of many hard working passionate well organised festival organisers

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 26 Dec 17 - 10:44 AM

the folk dance gang seems very active

IVFDF (Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival) very much so. Run by Uni students with help from others. And it is popular. A different Uni each year, though certain Universities have a thriving caucus of aficionados. And it should be on the syllabus, certainly for business students, the hoops they have to jump thrugh to get it together is excellent training. I haven't been to a bad one yet.
So much popular it has spawned an ICBINI (I Can't Believe it's not IVFDF)

And Contra, long a preserve of older dancers, has a young following.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 17 - 11:17 AM

Whilst I have been not been involved with folk festivals for a very long time (Durham many years ago) I am now concerned with sport admin.
As you ask I play lawn bowls, and am involved with the County admin - although this is thought of as old man's marbles the top players in this country and worldwide are no more than in their 30s.They would not, however, be able to play if there was not someone to organise the event.
The comparison with folk clubs and festivals is that, as a pensioner, I am younger than many of those who work in administration.
The comparison, in both my sport and in folk music is that they won't survive unless younger people are prepared to take on the hard work.

In both cases there is a danger of failure due to apathy from the younger generations.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: JHW
Date: 26 Dec 17 - 03:53 PM

'apathy from the younger generations'

Today (Boxing Day 2017) I watched Redcar Sword Dancers perform the Greatham Sword Dance Play at Greatham, nr Hartlepool I think for the fiftyfirst year. As sizeable an audience there as I've seen on many visits. Many of them young. Some very young. The sword dancers performing are mostly of the generation that 'invented' the revival. They can't keep it going a further fifty years.
Same with Festivals; same with Folk Clubs; same even with pubs. Most of the folks I see out walking or cycling or on motorbikes and in the tearoom are retired. My guess is that when we are all gone so will be the many strands of the folk revival.

At least many very young folks had enough interest in old folks doing an old custom to turned out and watch today.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Dec 17 - 07:48 PM

Most of the festivals I go to are what you might class as smaller ones, just running over a weekend, but I do go to a few of the bigger ones. ALL of them depend on a vast amount of goodwill from volunteer organisers and helpers. Many people who are happy to help as stewards do not want to get involved in the main management of the festival but are happy to turn up and do as asked of them.
I had no specific training or experience in organising festivals when I came to it: I just had a huge love of the music and the festival, and wanted to give back something. My day job was in no way related, but did involve some management and organising and PEOPLE skills (also not trained to do but learned as I went along!) I learned an awful lot on the job, and tried to set down in writing for other Committee members any policies, risk assessments and guidelines for future incumbents. I did not want to be seen as a figure-head, but rather that I was pulling all the loose threads together into one coherent mass, with the same aim of getting out a good festival.
You soon find out who does not respond to emails, or say they'll do something and then don't, or even people who are allocated duties and then don't turn up. You maybe don't delegate enough for these reasons, but the job gets done, and you hopefully keep everyone on side on the way.
You find out that, on the whole, your great heroes and heroines that you have booked are nice and reasonable people, even if sometimes their agents are a bit over-zealous in the quest for riders. Again the people skills come in, in working around any perceived unreasonable demands.
There are always ups and downs on organising committees but the PEOPLE bit is finding a way through without alienating anyone.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Dec 17 - 11:51 AM

A lot of festivals (in Scotland at least) got a helping hand from local authorities who had some other kind of event going on at the same time. The Auchtermuchty folk festival did very well piggybacking on the community festival - shared venues and publicity. Then the council told them to get lost. Moving the folk content to Falkland has left it in obscurity and whatever the Auchtermuchty community festival may be doing has remained a mystery to me (probably just a lot of people getting drunk).

What relationships with the council have other festivals had? Where have those relationships continued?

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Acorn4
Date: 27 Dec 17 - 01:44 PM

Involvement of local councils is now rather rare I feel.

Sometimes had some weird outcomes such as one of our local ones where council employees ushered people to their seats - the only time I've seen that at a folk festival.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Dec 17 - 02:00 PM

I have sponsaorsahip of 500 euros from cork county council, Ireceive it 6 months after the festival after filling in forms showing invoices etc so it is really more useful for funding the following year or covering a loss

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Mr Red
Date: 27 Dec 17 - 04:27 PM

Stroud Folk Weekend get a small fund from the town council which has to be spent locally. The festival organises Morris and sessions and sometimes workshops. Concerts are put on by venues and we advertise it. Essentially we are an umbrella organisation for the main events.

September 21-23 2018, since you asked.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 27 Dec 17 - 06:21 PM

West Lothian Council gives grants to Linlithgow Folk Festival and to other events run by the TMSA (Traditional Music & Song Association of Scotland) within its boundaries.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 28 Dec 17 - 02:59 AM

Cambridge has been run by the council for a number of years. They also involve local folk clubs running the club tent.
Rochester gives a grant for the Sweeps.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Malcolm Storey
Date: 28 Dec 17 - 06:35 AM

I did not really want to get involved with this but the mentions of grants did remind me of my dealings with Scarborough Borough Council vis-a-vis Whitby Folk Week.
At the time we (myself and Edmund Jenkinson) were running the festival for the EFDSS we did manage to extract a fairly meaningful grant from the council together with the provision of "free" ie discounted use of certain council facilities.
Once we became an independent organisation quite a lot of that so called goodwill disappeared.
I (Edmund had pulled out due to pressures in the real job) tackled them on this and they agreed that it would be fitting for them to contribute in some way to the festival.
After some debating and being buggered about (councils seem good at that) it was agreed that we would receive a certain figure but would need to pay for an entry in the local tourist guide whether we wanted it or not.
That was fine for a couple of years until the price of the entry went up and the grant went down such that they equalled each other. I still had to go through the usual rigmarole of filling in multitudinous forms, pay for the entry in advance and wait at least six months for the corresponding grant. Needless to say I ceased to bother. The person who was employed to administer these grants was on a salary in excess of the grants he was administering and was most shocked when I responded to his reminder that I had not yet applied for the following year by pointing out the bleeding obvious.
We/I had a similar sort of relationship with Yorkshire Arts until the grants (never huge) were discontinued. I used their one time artists in residence scheme to boost the payments we could make to eligible artists (100% to the artist) and I did manage to outfox them when a new officer was installed and was offering capital grants. We got a new shower unit for the main campsite - still in use I believe. The money bought us the box and the materials - the labour was provided by myself and the transport by Mike Rust.
Happy days

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 28 Dec 17 - 10:43 AM

Hull Folk & Maritime Festival is now overseen by a charity 'Folk in Hull' along with other weekly events. For the last 5 years we have managed to get a substantial grant from the Council but this is not guaranteed and we normally get this only a couple of months before the July festival, not ideal for using to book guests. We are reasonably successful with grants from national bodies and local businesses and that seems to be the way forward as we are largely a free festival. British Waterways Marinas Ltd. sponsor our historic vessels in the Marina and some of these are used as stages for smaller concerts. We make great use of local artists cutting down on travel and accommodation.

As for younger people getting involved we are doing very well on this score with a deliberate policy of younger volunteers shadowing our older experienced volunteers, such that our performers and volunteers cover a wide age span.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Some bloke
Date: 28 Dec 17 - 04:53 PM

One aspect of many festivals has been "fringe."

Or put another way, talkihg about a festival all the time, saying how good it used to be (despite having never paid to see a concert there) then moaning when it no longer exists.

I enjoy a good pub singaround with the best of them but feel awkward aroynd those who slag off the "official" festival but bitch with the worst of them if the organisers don't ensure singarounds exist, diluting concert numbers.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 28 Dec 17 - 06:50 PM

Tricky one that, some bloke!
Can certainly recognise the scenario, that some people do come to festivals for just for the sessions, but on the other hand, the pubs where these sessions occur do well out of it, in terms of pints bought and meals ordered, and some of them, give them their due, do become festival sponsors.
At our local festival we do try to produce a list of pubs where sessions might be welcome and at what times, as well as putting this info on our website, and signs for the publicans to put in their windows - "Musicians and Singers Welcome". There is, in any case, an overlap between those who do sessions only and those who come to some or all of the main events.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Joe G
Date: 29 Dec 17 - 06:35 AM

Steve - I've been to the Hull Festival the last couple of years and it is very enjoyable. You and the team are doing a great job. Need to get the weather right though next year ;-)

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Some bloke
Date: 29 Dec 17 - 02:36 PM

Aye, horses for courses.

But it is a fact that I hear many people in singarounds slagging off the festival, not making the link that their lack of engagement, especially not purchasing tickets leads to the demise.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 29 Dec 17 - 02:45 PM

Thanks, Joe
We are working on the weather. The free ponchos was a master-stroke. Fitting gazebos onto the boat stages was a good idea in principle but it needs a bit more forethought next year. Leaving the PA out overnight on the main stage at the end of the pier was not really a good idea. We were the first act on on the Saturday and we had to contend with disappearing sound, exploding speakers and a smoke screen.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Dec 17 - 02:48 PM

There must be a shitload of festivals the anonymously gutless "some bloke" doesn't go to - they all have ground for complaint that he's not paying their ticket price.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 30 Dec 17 - 06:32 AM

Hello - there goes that Campin bloke again.

What is there to take offence with in what some bloke has posted?

Unless the cap fits of course.

Subject: RE: What's Happening to our Folk Festivals?
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Dec 17 - 12:53 PM

malcolm storey did a great job running whitby