HW: Summerfest 2003

[PETER WILKINSON]

I AM VERY KEEN THAT THE FEST IS ON AGAIN THIS YEAR. THERE IS NOW A DEARTH OF
THIS TYPE OF FESTIVAL WHILST AT THE SAME TIME I BELIEVE THERE IS QUITE A
DEMAND. THE CATCHMENT NET MAY NEED TO BE WIDENED WE ALREADY HAVE SOME
SUGGESTIONS-FRIENDS OF PASSPORT HOLDERS, FAMILY ETC. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE I
AND MY FRIENDS HAVE BEEN GOING TO THE BIG CHILL FEST AT LARMER TREE SINCE IT
BEGAN 6 YEARS AGO. IT HAS GONE GRADUALLY MORE COMMERCIAL UNTIL WE NO LONGER
WISH TO GO THIS YEAR. I HAVE SPOKEN TO OTHERS WHO ARE OF THE SAME MIND.
FUNNILY ENUF WE PICKED THIS FEST BECAUSE THE MAINSTREAM ONES JUST DID NOT
CATER FOR OUR TASTES ETC. PITY HAWKFEST DID NOT START THEN. MY FESTI FRIENDS
TOTAL ABOUT 15 PEOPLE -ALL INTO GONG HAWKWIND ASTRALASIA ETC AND ALL ARE
VERY KEEN ON THE HAWKFEST 2003 IDEA. IF ENOUGH PASSPORT HOLDERS AND ALLIES
SPREAD THE WORD THEN I AM SURE WE CAN GET SUFFUCIENT NUMBERS TO MAKE IT
VIABLE. A MAIN PROBLEM I CAN SEE IS THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING NEED TO
KNOW MONTHS BEFORE IF AND WHEN IT IS ON SO THAT THEY CAN BOOK TIME OFF AT
WORK (AND IT DOES NOT CLASH WITH OTHER HOLIDAY COMMITMENTS) A PROBLEM WITH
HAWKFEST LAST YEAR WAS LACK OF PROPER PUBLICITY OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN
THERE PRONTO. SO, LETS GET IT ON AND IF WE CANNOT GET ENUF PEOPLE TO GO
BETWEEN US, TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT PUBLICITY, (WHICH WE CAN DISCUSS) IT'S A
'BAD DO'.






>From: Cpt Blue Skin <michael_1968 at OZEMAIL.COM.AU>
>Reply-To: BOC/Hawkwind Discussion List <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
>To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU
>Subject: Re: HW: Summerfest 2003
>Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 11:45:44 +1030
>
>but it should be in australia - otherwise mmmmm ummmmmm
>it just should be hear ;-)
>
>------------------------------------------------
>Cpt Blue Skin
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: M Holmes <fofp at HOLYROOD.ED.AC.UK>
>To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
>Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 11:05 AM
>Subject: Re: HW: Summerfest 2003
>
>
> > Rik Rx writes:
> >
> > > + +   + + +   +STAR WARRIORS + +++   +  +
> > >
> > > Greetings and best wishes to all from Hawkwind for 2003
> > >
> > > The band wondered if people would be interested in another Hawkfest
>this
> > > year.
> > > If there is enough interest, then we will have to begin organising it
>pretty
> > > soon.
> >
> > If you build it I will come. Definitely. I worked over xmas to save the
> > leave for it.
> >
> > > Our main question is:
> > > If it happens, would people still want it to be kept to passport
>holders
> > > only this time?
> >
> > There's something to be said for making it mainly for the the fans.
> > Certainly I wouldn't want to see it as commercial as Glastonbury has
> > become nor as awfully rock'n'burgers as Reading.  The Hawkwind fan
> > community by and large know each other and are a community in the real
> > sense and diluting that too far in a festival would make it lose
> > something special.
> >
> > That said, clearly we need enough people so that the bands can be paid
> > and the stallholders make a living. That amounts to more than last time.
> > I'm sure that with one success behind us we can attract more of the
> > dedicated fans. However the net will probably have to go at least a
> > little further than that. Certainly let's extend it to family and
> > friends of passport holders and those Hawkwind fans who aren't yet
> > passport holders. It'd also be reasonable to get in folks from the rest
> > of the spacerock community.
> >
> > I think just opening it right up to a public festival would risk
> > diluting it too far. That can be mitigated by choice of bands being kept
> > to Hawkwind related and spacerock but while we should extend the
> > attendee base, I think we should think carefully about how to do that
> > rather than just advertise to the general public. I know from experience
> > that the wrong crowd can pretty easily break a festival and the band
> > have more than enough similar experience with the likes of the Brew
>Crew.
> >
> > I know that there was an issue between keeping it to a similar remit to
> > last time or going in with a more general festival. I'm very much for
> > the former. Keep it Hawk-related, but yes, let's extend the fanbase.
> > Moving it geographically closer to Bristol than Exeter might encourage
> > more folks to travel. Beer was a great area of the country, but not
> > exactly easy to get to for those far from the South.
> >
> > Could we have comment from the bands and organisers about how many we
> > need to make this work without anyone losing their shirts? Then take
> > into account having enough loos etc for that number and recalculate?
> >
> > Once we have a ballpark figure for that, we know how much further we
> > need to extend it.
> >
> > From my own long experience of rock festivals, once you get past 5000
>you
> > lose the sense of community and it becomes something else. Hopefully
> > we're not talking that kind of number?
> >
> > And thanks to all concerned for the last one and for being prepared to
> > host this rabble again ;-)
> >
> > FoFP


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