SAFETY FIRST AT FOLK FESTIVAL
PLANNING AHEAD TO S TAGE SHOW AT NEW VENUE
Playing it safe is the watchword from Warwick’s biggest festival as organisers plan the return of live music in the open air. The town’s folk festival - running this year from July 15-18 - brings people from all over the UK to the area. Last year’s gathering fell victim to the pandemic but festival bosses are determined to go ahead this time round.
The government’s earliest possible date of June 21 for ending lockdown falls three weeks before the festival is set to welcome folk fans to its new site in the shadow of Warwick Castle.
But while a return to the normality of festival life is welcomed, organisers of Warwick’s 40-year- old festival understand that many music fans will be wary of taking things too fast.
Festival director Dick Dixon says striking a balance between family fun and safety could hold the key. “We feel that even if the restrictions have all been wiped away, many people will still want to feel safe and take things carefully until we’re all certain the situation has improved. With that in mind we’re going to keep a lot of the safety measures we’ve got used to over the last year or so in place. We’ll have reduced numbers on each day and plenty of space in and around all the gigs. There will also be hand sanitisers and we’ll be working to ensure that those who want to keep socially-distanced are able to do so,” he said.
The festival is also hoping to bring in an app allowing people to get their drinks from the bar without having to venture into the beer tent. With many regulars expected to snap up the chance of a long-awaited weekend in the open air, organisers have added an extra field to the site - already larger than the previous home at Warwick School - to allow campers to spread out as much as they feel necessary. Reduced numbers inside the main venue will also help ensure more space and the festival is planning to feature a giant screen to allow hundreds to sit in the open air to enjoy the music.
Festival chairman John Plumb said: “We’re as keen as ever to bring music back to the town and to inject a real boost into the local economy. But it has to be done in a way that people are comfortable with and so the emphasis will be on keeping things as safe as possible.”
The festival’s line-up offers top class performers including Show of Hands, Seth Lakeman, Spiers & Boden and Nancy Kerr alongside a full weekend programme of music, craft shopping and a wide range of festival food.
For the latest news as well as the full programme and ticketing details visit
www.warwickfolkfestival.co.uk
129
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
ENTERTAINMENT WARWICK FOL K F E S T IVAL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
