The Fringe - second class citizens??

Subject: RE: THE FRINGE - second class citizens??
From: Soldier boy
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 02:52 AM

You have missed the point completely Leadfingers.
Please read my opening thread again, I am not talking about fringe only festivals I am talking about how much the fringe adds to a festival and how they are interdependant upon one another.
And your remark about 'freeloading' wonderfully sums up what I have already said about the negative and pompous attitude of organisers towards the fringe element. So stereo-typical. Well done sir!!

Subject: RE: THE FRINGE - second class citizens??
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 09:49 PM

If every body only went to the Fringe , there wouldnt BE a Festival - Or a campp site for you to free load on Soldier Boy - And I RUN fringe at Sidmouth , and am happy to sort out my own accomodation , Or use the ticket to get on the camp site 1

Subject: THE FRINGE - second class citizens??
From: Soldier boy
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 09:22 PM

I am totally fed up with Folk Festivals treating the 'fringe' element as second class citizens. Why is this so?

A case in hand is the new 'Shepley Spring Festival',West Yorkshire.
This is a green field site which has an adjoining campsite but it is only available for full weekend ticket holders. This means that the glorious fringe festival goers would have to camp at the next available campsite many many miles away even though their web site encourages the fringe element to sing/play in the local pubs.

This is just one example of many where folk festival organisers, in their infinate wisdom, totally snub the fringe in favour of the more commercially lucrative weekend/season ticket holders.
This really gets my goat.
The fringe not only brings revenue to the local community but adds so much in the way of colour,entertainment,atmosphere and fun to the social and business environment during the duration of any festival.

Too many festival organisers choost to ignore this at their peril and then wonder why their green field site festival struggles to be welcomed and accepted by the the local community the following year,when they only remember the inconvenience of lots of extra traffic,noise and litter.

It's the fringe that makes all the difference and which warms the local community to any festival on its doorstep.

They may not want to attend lots of concerts etc and may not wish to fork out for a full weekend/season ticket but they really do add so much to the overall well-being of a festival and its future long-term security.

I do believe that festivals that are inclusive and fully welcome and engage the fringe within the whole local community will always win out on festivals that lock people in to maximum income generation and are divorced from the neigbouring community.
How else does the local community benefit from this?

Come on festival organisers, it's time to wake up and smell the coffee!!