Solfest
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54°48′46″N 3°22′22″W / 54.81278°N 3.37278°W
| Solfest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Rock, Alternative rock, Northern Soul, Dance, Indie, World music, Punk, Reggae, Folk music. |
| Dates | August Bank Holiday weekend |
| Location(s) | Tarns, Cumbria |
| Years active | 2004 - present |
| Founders | The Solfest Committee |
| Website | http://www.solfest.org.uk |
Solfest is a Cumbrian arts organisation that runs an annual music festival held at Tarns, near to Silloth (in Cumbria, United Kingdom). It is held at Tarnside Farm on the August Bank Holiday weekend.[1] Originally, the 2019 edition of Solfest was going be the last,[2] but due to new directors taking control of the festival and the turnout of the 2019 event being much higher than anticipated, Solfest will return in 2020.[3]
Organisation
The Solfest organisation was initially formed in September 2003 when a team of West Cumbrian festival-goers got together and made initial plans to create a festival of their own a little nearer to home. They were quickly joined by other interested parties and Solfest was run by a structured committee of sixteen permanent members until 2010 when the management structure changed. Solfest is now run by a smaller management team.
While Solway Festival Ltd is a registered company, the organisation operates as a social enterprise whereby all surplus income is reinvested into the organisation. Solfest is constituted in such a way that it does not allow any members of the Solfest Committee to make any financial gain from the festival.
History
The Solfest festival is operated by Solfest Ltd, a registered company. It is run as a constituted social enterprise by unpaid volunteers, and does not have any corporate sponsorship. The first festival took place over the weekend of 3-5 September 2004 on a 26-acre (110,000 m2) site at Tarnside Farm (approximately halfway between the towns of Aspatria and Silloth). About 1,800 people attended the festival in its first year. It currently hosts an annual crowd of up to 10,000 people.
The festival provides a variety of music. It has three large stages (Main stage, Drystone Stage & Bar Stage) as well as a dance tent. The festival also has dedicated welfare areas and children's play areas. Other activities are provided by visiting artists, which range from crafts and woodworking to entertainers and musicians.
Solfest was cancelled in 2014,[4] but returned in 2015. In 2018, organisers initially announced that the 2019 festival would be the last edition of Solfest. This was attributed to falling attendance numbers, especially in 2018, and growing debts.[5] However, organisers cited increased attendance at the 2019 festival in announcing that Solfest is to return in 2020.[6]
Performers
Artists who have appeared at the Solfest Festival include: Badly Drawn Boy, Buzzcocks, Supergrass, Oysterband, The Levellers, The Wonderstuff, The Charlatans (UK band), James (band), Roisin Murphy, Bluehorses, Blockheads, The Bad Shepherds, Pikey Beatz, Misty's Big Adventure, Kate Rusby, The Orb, System 7, Easy Star All Stars, The Undertones, The Proclaimers, The Beat, The Lavetts, Seth Lakeman, Show of Hands, Ozric Tentacles, 3 Daft Monkeys, Bex Marshall, Penny Broadhurst, Katus, Silverwheel, Eat Static, The Damned, Evil Nine, Alabama 3, New Young Pony Club, The Magic Numbers, Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos and Escapology expert David Straitjacket.
Awards
Solfest won the "Best Family Festival Award" at the 2007 National Festival Awards.[7]
Notes
- ^ "Solfest is a great little place for a bank holiday weekend". eFestivals. Review, 3rd Sep 2010.
- ^ "Solfest 2019 - The Final Solfest". Solfest. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Solfest will return in 2020". Skiddle. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ "Virtual Festivals: Cumbria's Whitehaven and Solfest Festivals cancelled in 2014". Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "Solfest 2019 - The Final Solfest". Solfest. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Solfest will return in 2020". Skiddle. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ Festival Awards Website festivalawards.com