Simon Says....

[Shane (Skirky)]

Let’s all donate a tenner each to a just giving page to get a top act booked if it saves the future of the festival
I understand the act may not please everyone but a £10 donation and you get a patch/badge showing you helped support the festival.
If I had to pay a tenner to help buy an act and help the festival sell out I wouldn’t hesitate…,
Is that feasible or bonkers?

As evidenced elsewhere, Patreon might seem like the way forward. A regular monthly fee for access to exclusive content, unreleased recordings (if any 🤔😁) and priority booking.

[mickf]

I first went to Cropredy in 1984, but over the next two decades I only attended sporadically, due to family, finances and, you know, life! Since my kids grew up and especially since my retirement, I've been able to go more often. However, as has been mentioned already, old age brings with it other issues. For instance, I've given up regular camping, as it's literally, a pain! In the last few years I tried hiring a camper van at ridiculous expense and (last year) gone glamping at ridiculous expense. I'm glamping again this year, but I don't know if that is sustainable in the long term. The line up doesn't really inspire me and, as others have said, if it wasn't Cropredy, I'm not sure I would have bothered.

I'm not a huge prog fan, but can take it in small doses. Unfortunately some pretty large doses appear to be on the menu. Trevor Horn for the third time in a few years isn't really an attraction to me. Ironically, my daughter who is coming with me for the first time since 1984 (when she was 6 months old ) is looking forward to hearing his 'greatest hits' act. She is also a Fairport fan, having been with me to see them on many occasions on Wintours etc, so it will be interesting to see what she thinks of the festival as a whole. Time marches on and, I suppose, the inevitable happens.

I can't see Fairport doing much to change the current state of affairs, and if they did, maybe it's too late for it to make much of a difference anyway. Still, it's a bit of un, isn't it? No, seriously, isn't it?!

[Dubai Danny]

Given the cost of living crisis, I honestly think that the lineup is a huge part of it.

Cropredy is *not* a cheap 3 days, and if we're going to risk spending what's going to be the thick end of £700 for two of us (after food, drink, travel costs and sundries) potentially being rained on in a muddy field before trudging back to a tent, we need to be confident we're going to enjoy a fair chunk of the acts.

Cropredy is simply too expensive for us to go in the primary hope of discovering something new.

I know that in years gone by, grumbles about the lineup have always been met with the usual responses of "We don't care about the music, we're going because it's Cropredy", but as has been said, the number of people with that attitude will have been diminishing every year through unavoidable natural causes, and so there needs to be a counterbalance.

Since the weather is just pot luck, the lineup is the only leverage the organisers have with those of the ticket-buying public who aren't nostalgically wedded to the twin concepts of FC and Cropredy - which, let's be honest, is most of them.

We haven't been for 17 years, and we've only been 4 times in total starting in 2002. Even back then, it was noticeable that the FC setlists were mostly comprised of the stuff we'd seen on the Wintours and the years of the mega-sets full of back-catalogue surprises were over.

Despite the headline of "it's the lineup, dummy!" I don't really know if there's an answer, and to be frank, I would imagine that pretty much everything depends on how well this year turns out.

[davidmjs]

Given the cost of living crisis, I honestly think that the lineup is a huge part of it.

Cropredy is *not* a cheap 3 days, and if we're going to risk spending what's going to be the thick end of £700 for two of us (after food, drink, travel costs and sundries) potentially being rained on in a muddy field before trudging back to a tent, we need to be confident we're going to enjoy a fair chunk of the acts.

Cropredy is simply too expensive for us to go in the primary hope of discovering something new.

I know that in years gone by, grumbles about the lineup have always been met with the usual responses of "We don't care about the music, we're going because it's Cropredy", but as has been said, the number of people with that attitude will have been diminishing every year through unavoidable natural causes, and so there needs to be a counterbalance.

Since the weather is just pot luck, the lineup is the only leverage the organisers have with those of the ticket-buying public who aren't nostalgically wedded to the twin concepts of FC and Cropredy - which, let's be honest, is most of them.

We haven't been for 17 years, and we've only been 4 times in total starting in 2002. Even back then, it was noticeable that the FC setlists were mostly comprised of the stuff we'd seen on the Wintours and the years of the mega-sets full of back-catalogue surprises were over.

Despite the headline of "it's the lineup, dummy!" I don't really know if there's an answer, and to be frank, I would imagine that pretty much everything depends on how well this year turns out.

I'm not really disagreeing with you, but I can't help but think you weren't paying attention in 2002  

https://fclist.org/cropredy-cropredy-line-ups/cropredy-2002

Simon Nicol
Dave Pegg
Ric Sanders
Chris Leslie
Gerry Conway
Dave Swarbrick
Richard Thompson
Ashley Hutchings
Iain Matthews
Jerry Donahue
Maartin Allcock
Anna Ryder
Andrew Cronshaw
Neil Wayne
Ian Blake
Fraser Spiers
Tom Farnell
Roger Hill
Marc Ellington
Eddi Reader
Vikki Clayton
Ralph McTell
Chris Parkinson
Tommy Connolly Dancers
Terry Paine
Geoffrey Hughes
Blair Dunlop
Bob Fox
Kristina Donahue
John Jones

The Widow of Westmoreland's Daughter
Happy Man
The Crowd
My Love is In America
Neil's Morris
Journeyman's Grace
Walk Awhile
Doctor of Physick
Now Be Thankful
Flowers of the Forest
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman
Sloth
Hens March / Four Poster Bed
Polly on the Shore
Stranger to Himself
Rising for the Moon
John the Gun
Brilliancy Medley / Cherokee Shuffle
Rosie
The Plainsman
Red and Gold
England
Milltown Maid
Claudy Banks
Slip Jigs and Reels
Naked Highwayman
Red Tide
Jewel in the Crown
Everything But the Skirl / Let There Be Drums
The Light of Day
Bowman's Retreat
Matty Groves / Dirty Linen
Meet on the Ledge

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Sorry if noted elsewhere, but I note from the mailing list,  that a raffle has been initiated to try to boost ticket sales, presumably.

Don’t worry, it’s not a box of hankies, a knitted loo roll cover and some After Eights…it's some festival tickets for some other events via Costa Music Festivals.

[davidmjs]

Sorry if noted elsewhere, but I note from the mailing list,  that a raffle has been initiated to try to boost ticket sales, presumably.

Don’t worry, it’s not a box of hankies, a knitted loo roll cover and some After Eights…it's some festival tickets for some other events via Costa Music Festivals.

That slightly underplays it, to be fair, the prize is worth about £2k  Everyone that buys a ticket (or has already bought a ticket) is entered.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Sorry if noted elsewhere, but I note from the mailing list,  that a raffle has been initiated to try to boost ticket sales, presumably.

Don’t worry, it’s not a box of hankies, a knitted loo roll cover and some After Eights…it's some festival tickets for some other events via Costa Music Festivals.

That slightly underplays it, to be fair, the prize is worth about £2k  Everyone that buys a ticket (or has already bought a ticket) is entered.

I know-Great prize! Here’s hoping it tempts a few more people.