Great place to have a ball! (Festivals in general)

Member Name: cathodbach

Product:	Festivals in general
Date:	04/11/05 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of artists under one roof

Disadvantages: In bad weather, a bit bleak. Getting expensive!

I've been to a few festivals, and until a few years ago, the Sesiwn Fawr (Big Session) which is held in Dolgellau, North Wales. This started off as another huge, free festival, held in the town square. Most of the shops shut for the weekend and all roads were blocked, and we had many super summers there. Most of the "big names" in the Welsh music scene were there, together with a couple of surprises from elsewhere in Europe.

During the course of each festival, the buckets would come round and we would gladly throw in our loose change "to ensure a free festival next year."

However, the inevitable happened. Firstly, they started charging. At the same time, they introduced an alcohol ban (apart from stuff you bought in the festival boundaries at inflated prices). Then, the big names came no more and it became the festival of the unknown artist. And to put the final nail in the coffin, they moved the location from the town square to a field on the outskirts of town. Talk about how to kill a festival.

Now, we just can't afford to go any more, and probably wouldn't want to anyway because the big names are obviously otherwise engaged. Since they started charging entry fees, the festival has lost one day (obviously because of diminishing interest) and really gone down the pan. What I wonder is, what happened to all the dosh I put in the bucket for "next year's free festival?"

Come back the days of good, free festivals. Not all of us are in good jobs and can afford to pay, but we all need a bit of summer fun!

Summary: The death of a good festival!