Something controversial...

[Ian_]

     Don't know if this has been raised before, but here goes:

    Wouldn't it be better if Fairports annual Festival moved to somewhere different? Somewhere well-outside the North Oxfordshire folk-rock belt, I mean.

  As several people have pointed out before, it's now become an established local event and consequently attracts many people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do.

  By relocating the festival somewhere wholly different, Fairport could be assured of bringing with them the large and established body of fans and, by doing so, recreate something of the happier atmosphere that clung to the Festival in the eighties and early nineties.

    What say you?

                                         Ian   

[Jim]

and what part of our little sceptered isle is **** free?

[x]

sellafield perchance?

[gower flower (Shirl)]

and what part of our little sceptered isle is **** free?

No-one suggested that any of it was, Jim.

[Jim]

I just wondered where you would take it, to be assured of no neds

btw sellafield would do nicely for me, i was born not 4 miles away
i suppose that could explain quite a lot

[x]

what are the local wasps like?

[Ian_]

 I wasn't suggesting that you could eliminate trouble by moving the Festival, merely that you might reduce it at the same time as improving the integrity of the event. Sorry if that sounds a bit precious, but I hope you understand what I mean.

                                                               Ian 

[Jim]

big buggers,they can smell fear

[x]

 I wasn't suggesting that you could eliminate trouble by moving the Festival, merely that you might reduce it at the same time as improving the integrity of the event. Sorry if that sounds a bit precious, but I hope you understand what I mean.

                                                               Ian 

can't see quite what could be achieved by moving by moving croppers. i also have a feeling of deja vu on this one. did someone once suggest the west indies?
nothing wrong with the security at cropredy. it just needs to be enforced.
thames valley police were conpicuous by their absence last year. when the cats away, the mice will play.

[Paul]

what are the local wasps like?

Near Sellafield?

Two heads and a metre wingspan.

Paul

[Sian]

     Don't know if this has been raised before, but here goes:

    Wouldn't it be better if Fairports annual Festival moved to somewhere different? Somewhere well-outside the North Oxfordshire folk-rock belt, I mean.

  As several people have pointed out before, it's now become an established local event and consequently attracts many people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do.

  By relocating the festival somewhere wholly different, Fairport could be assured of bringing with them the large and established body of fans and, by doing so, recreate something of the happier atmosphere that clung to the Festival in the eighties and early nineties.

    What say you?

                                         Ian   

What was the atmosphere like then in the 80's and 90's???

[x]

     Don't know if this has been raised before, but here goes:

    Wouldn't it be better if Fairports annual Festival moved to somewhere different? Somewhere well-outside the North Oxfordshire folk-rock belt, I mean.

  As several people have pointed out before, it's now become an established local event and consequently attracts many people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do.

  By relocating the festival somewhere wholly different, Fairport could be assured of bringing with them the large and established body of fans and, by doing so, recreate something of the happier atmosphere that clung to the Festival in the eighties and early nineties.

    What say you?

                                         Ian   

What was the atmosphere like then in the 80's and 90's???

pretty much as it is today, except that the local 'yoof' hadn't caught onto it.
2 years ago they stopped the bikers and backpackers camping on the cricket field as a result of which the banbury under-age drinking club dispersed themselves around the entire site.

[Keith]

The Other Place and the Funfair, the main sources of night-time trouble last year (I have no doubt) are not around this year. I reckon if there are still big problems then it may be worth looking at, but you have to make a real effort to get to those fields for just a bit of mischief - much more likely near or in a town and/or where there are bloodsucking events on the back of what I believe is a fundamentally peaceful event.

[greglin (Gregg)]

Having some difficulty with the logic of the proposition.............

For those of us who travel from a considerable distance, part of the charm - a large part- is the location. Cropredy & banbury are as much a part of the whole experience as the music and the people. I guess it's up to those of us who go for the music and the vibe to ensure that it's not hijacked by a rogue element. OK, we need more high profile policing, and perhaps more responsible enforcement of sensible drinking ( and I like my pints as much as anyone else), but I can't see that there's any benefit in moving to a different location.

[clive]

Not sure, there's something deeply comforting about seeing the sights and sites around Cropredy in August. The anticipation builds as soon as something familiar comes into view.
I used to work in Daventry and occasionally drove past Cropredy. Even 'out of season' I would get a Pavlovian kind of reaction near that part of the A361

[Ian_]

 Thankyou all for your thoughts; I'm not trying to start the 'festival must be moved' campaign, particularly as it's so convenient for me where it is 

   My suggestion was mainly in response to two fairly well-known and well-established controversies which were doing the rounds in 2005:

   Firstly, when it looked as though the Festival might cease altogether after 2004, quite a few people here made their feelings clear that they thought the Festival had become too big - in several senses of the phrase - and that a fresh start in scaled-down form might help the event regain the intimacy and integrity of earlier years.

   Secondly, that the trouble and antagonism experienced by some Festivalgoers in 2005 was not just the result of inadequate security, but also because, as a well-established event attracting tens of thousands of people, it was a juicy target for opportunist thieves and chancers looking to make a bit of money on the side - not to mention local yoof out to create noise and hassle to alleviate their own boredom. It seemed to me that a smaller event in a different location might refresh the whole experience and bring some new vitality to the Festival and to the Fairport career.

    Only a thought, but I'd love to hear if anyone out there DOES agree with me - even just a little bit! 

                                          Thanks again, Ian 

[jude]

I don't honestly think you could move the festival anywhere else.

It wouldn't be the same festival, and wherever it moved to the same people who are only interested in 'event culture', rather than the music or the friendship, along with the sundry parasites, thieves and troublemakers who coalesce at the fringes of any major gathering for want of anything better to do. would go with it.

And the goodwill of the village and it's residents has been built up over many many years and is part of the inherent 'vibe' of this festival.

You couldn't take that goodwill with it and without it, it wouldn't be Fairport's Cropredy Convention would it?

This is only in my opinion obviously,

And anyway I'd have to travel further

Jude

[Nick Reg]

When you see the reaction of locals to some other events then I think we are very lucky to be able use the current location with the massive vote of goodwill from the residents. And now that the village is slightly dependent on the festival, what would it do if we left?  We've got something unique and very precious, let's not destroy it.

[clive]

Is it too big? I've never really thought so but I've only been going since mid 90's.
I think it's about right, even when it sold out.

[Alex Lyons]

Back in the mid/late 80s Jonah would always announce from the stage - "if you've enjoyed the weekend please don't tell your friends" 

It is a shame that the audience has altered, I think especially over the last ten years, but you can never really go back. It is sad that a lot of the punters aren't really serious Fairport fans - I'm always amazed at people asking questions like who Swarb is, "who's that doddery old granny on the piano?" (it was poor Beryl Marriott).

The local youth never really bothers me to be honest. They're the most middle-class yobs you could wish for and I find if you let them know you're around, you can get a nice quiet night.